Minister Robert Troy leads Enterprise Ireland Trade Visit to United Arab Emirates and Qatar

• Eight Irish companies to participate in WETEX trade fair, one of the largest energy events globally
• Series of announcements made during WETEX by several Enterprise Ireland supported companies
• Middle East market is a major focus for Ireland to further expand its business presence as Irish companies focus on an accelerated export-led recovery 

Robert Troy T.D., Minister for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, will today commence a 3-day trade visit to the Middle East region covering the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. The trade visit, organised by Enterprise Ireland, aims to boost trade collaboration with the region and to support an accelerated export-led recovery of Irish businesses in international markets.

During the trade visit, Minister Troy will promote Ireland and its world-class companies during a series of high-level business engagements with private and public organisations with a specific focus on the green energy and cleantech sectors. He will also undertake a series of engagements with representatives of the Irish business community in the region, including the Clean Energy Business Council MENA and Dubai Irish Business Network.

Eight Enterprise Ireland supported energy clients are participating in the Water, Energy, Technology, and Environment Exhibition (WETEX) and Dubai Solar Show 2021 during the trade visit. The participating companies represent a wide regional spread, with participants based in Carlow, Cork, Dublin, Limerick, Offaly, Meath, Monaghan and Wexford.

WETEX has become one of the largest and most important specialised exhibitions for the energy and environment related sectors in the region and the world. During the event, Minister Troy will meet with the Irish companies hosted by Enterprise Ireland on the Ireland country pavilion that will be promoting some of the best Irish innovation across the cleantech sector.

Coinciding with the trade visit, Minister Troy will also formally open Ireland’s Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. Ireland's theme for the Pavilion is ‘Island of Inspiration – putting creativity at the centre of human experience in the 21st century’, which will include elements that tell part of the story of 5,000 years of Irish creativity and innovation. Participation at Expo will provide an opportunity to promote Ireland to a global audience of up to 25 million visitors over the event’s six-month duration - opening the door to new contacts, new markets, and new collaborations.

Commencing the visit Minister Troy said, “I am delighted to be leading this ambitious trade visit involving some of the most innovative Irish companies in the cleantech sector. The Middle East region, particularly the UAE and Qatar, provides significant opportunities for Irish green innovators who can help solve sustainability challenges through cutting-edge innovation, digitisation, quality, compliance, and future focused energy reduction methods and conservation technology.

“Over recent years, Ireland has enjoyed a strong and growing business relationship with the Middle East. These business partnerships have strengthened the position of Irish companies operating in Dubai and the wider region, particularly those in the fields of cleantech and sustainability, mobility and transportation, IoT, and digitalisation. Last year alone, exports by EI client companies to the UAE increased by 12%, continuing the trend of year-on-year growth.”

“The Middle East region is thriving, with opportunities for Irish companies to deliver their competitive advantage, built on a strong reputation for delivering industry leading expertise and innovation. Trade and collaboration with these international markets will be crucial to Ireland’s recovery as we rebuild after Covid-19.”
Irish companies with Enterprise Ireland assistance have to-date been hugely successful in growing their exports to the Middle East region. Exports by Enterprise Ireland supported companies to the IMEA region remain strong, valued at €1.152 billion for 2020. Growth in exports by Irish companies to the UAE, even against the backdrop of a global pandemic increased by an impressive 12% in 2020.

Accompanying Minister Troy on the trade visit, Kevin Sherry, Executive Director, Enterprise Ireland said, “Enterprise Ireland client companies are seeing the growing opportunities of the UAE and wider Arab region. Across cleantech, fintech, and medtech, Irish companies are being supported by our Enterprise Ireland team to grow their commercial opportunities in market. This visit will further explore mutually beneficial business opportunities, areas for collaboration, and generate awareness of Ireland’s world leading innovation offering.

“Irish companies have enjoyed great success in the Middle East, but there is also great untapped potential in the market and Enterprise Ireland continues to identify opportunities for Irish businesses across a range of sectors.”

The trade visit, incorporating visits to Dubai (5th-6th October) and Doha (7th October), involves a series of high-level business meetings, targeted sector events, meetings with Government members and senior officials, and one to one meetings between Irish businesses and a wide range of local businesses, including the announcement of new business partnership agreements.

Minister Troy welcomes a series of announcements during WETEX by several of the Enterprise Ireland supported companies participating at WETEX including:

• NuLumenTek, specialists in sustainable energy solutions, announce they have been awarded the contract to supply the architectural lighting for the external public areas on the refurbishment of the Dubai Metro stations, the first stations are Dubai Internet City (DIC), Damac and UAE Exchange. The primary focus is to light the public areas with the lowest possible power to deliver energy efficient lighting, whist delivering safe uniform light levels with the fewest number of luminaires due to the restrictions of the many underground utility services around the stations.
• NuLumenTek also revealed that it has prequalified, as part of the Dussmann-STS consortium, to bid for the Phase 2 Abu Dhabi LED Street lighting PPP project for the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO). The project includes almost 136,000 streetlights and is one of the largest retrofit projects in the region.
• Amarenco Group, the leading solar IPP specialists operating projects across Europe, Middle East and Asia, announces the establishment of its new regional office in Dubai. The company have successfully delivered over 2,000 solar photovoltaic infrastructure projects worldwide working in close collaboration with farmers, local authorities, real estate owners, and businesses for more than a decade.
• Aquamonitrix Ltd announces the global launch of the Aquamonitrix® real-time nitrate and nitrite analyser during WETEX. The company provides water resource managers with accurate, user friendly and affordable analysers for nutrient monitoring.
• ESB International announces the appointment of Dr John Rafferty to their team in the GCC to lead their work in Oman. Dr Rafferty is a Clean Energy Technology and Energy Efficiency Consultant with extensive experience in the energy industry, including roles in international consultancy, project delivery, R&D and strategic policy development for ESB Group, Ireland's largest electricity utility.

Other Irish companies participating at WETEX included:

• BHSL Waste Solutions is an Irish agri-tech company that has developed a unique, patented Fluidised Bed Combustion solution that converts animal manures and municipal sludges into heat and power.
• Green Biofuels Ireland is a leading supplier of Biodiesel, Glycerol, Potassium Sulphate, and other Biofuel products throughout Ireland and across Europe.
• Lumcloon Energy is a specialist development company focusing on projects which enable the transition to a decarbonised power system.
• Suparule Systems Ltd. is an Irish Company specialising in the development, manufacture & supply of electronic test & measurement.

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Notes to Editor

This trade visit and associated events have been organised in line with Irish and local market Covid-19 regulations and travel requirements.

ENDS