ACWA Power to Emphasize Role as Global Accelerator of Energy Transformation at WETEX

ACWA Power to Emphasize Role as Global Accelerator of Energy Transformation at WETEX
TT

ACWA Power to Emphasize Role as Global Accelerator of Energy Transformation at WETEX

ACWA Power to Emphasize Role as Global Accelerator of Energy Transformation at WETEX

ACWA Power, a leading Saudi developer, investor and operator of power generation and desalinated water plants worldwide, will showcase its portfolio of leading renewable energy and water desalination projects at the at 22nd Water, Energy, Technology and Environment exhibition (WETEX) as a Titanium Sponsor.

Unlike any of its former editions, WETEX 2020 is launching virtually and will be the first ever carbon-neutral, 3D exhibition in the Middle East and North Africa on Water, Energy, Sustainability and Innovation.

ACWA Power will be exhibiting its record-breaking projects that played an instrumental role in lowering renewable energy tariff levels and opened new opportunities in energy efficiency and water production through a virtual 3D interactive stand.

The milestone projects will include Shuaa Energy, (MBR Solar Park Phase II); Noor Energy 1 (MBR Solar Park Phase IV); ACWA Power’s newest win – Shuaa Energy 3 (MBR Solar Park Phase V); Umm Al Quwain IWP; and Taweelah IWP, the largest desalination project in the world.

“This year, WETEX is going to be more critical than ever as a result of the increasing economic implications incited by the COVID-19 pandemic. Prioritising innovation today is key to unlocking postcrisis growth – and WETEX is the ideal platform that gathers like-minded stakeholders, governments and companies who are eager to explore and reciprocate insights and visions on forward-looking smart technologies and electrification solutions for a collective prosperous future,” ACWA Power Chairman Mohammad Abunayyan said.

ACWA Power is partaking in three leading seminars during WETEX this year. Paddy Padmanathan, President and CEO of ACWA Power, is joining the CEO Roundtable alongside CEO of Engie KSA, Turki Alshehri and CEO of Sterling & Wilson, Bikesh Ogra, to discuss the challenges posed by the pandemic and how to prepare for a post COVID-19 world.

Abla Addas, Business Development Manager at ACWA Power, will run a seminar on the challenges and opportunities of “Energy Efficiency, Sustainability and Conservation” following the immense impact of the lockdown period on the environment. Dr. Andrea Lovato, Vice President & Head of Renewables Development at ACWA Power, will lead a robust session on the potential of green hydrogen as a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels.



French People Need to Work More to Boost Growth, Minister Says

French Minister for the Economy, Finance and Industry Antoine Armand arrives to attend a governmental seminar at the Hotel Matignon in Paris, on November 4, 2024. (AFP)
French Minister for the Economy, Finance and Industry Antoine Armand arrives to attend a governmental seminar at the Hotel Matignon in Paris, on November 4, 2024. (AFP)
TT

French People Need to Work More to Boost Growth, Minister Says

French Minister for the Economy, Finance and Industry Antoine Armand arrives to attend a governmental seminar at the Hotel Matignon in Paris, on November 4, 2024. (AFP)
French Minister for the Economy, Finance and Industry Antoine Armand arrives to attend a governmental seminar at the Hotel Matignon in Paris, on November 4, 2024. (AFP)

People in France must work more, Finance Minister Antoine Armand said on Monday, adding that the fact that French people worked less than their counterparts in Europe was harming the economy due to lower tax contributions and social security payments.

The government is examining reforms to speed up its sluggish economic growth, although changes to work practices are often opposed by trade unions.

"On average, a French person works clearly less than his neighbors, over the course of a year," Armand told C News TV.

"The consequence of this is fewer social security payments, less money to finance our social models, fewer tax receipts and ultimately fewer jobs and less economic growth."

France, the euro zone's second biggest economy, wants to cut its public deficit to a targeted 5% of GDP by 2025.

The country's 35-hour work week, introduced in 2000, has typically been fiercely defended by trade unions, while reforms to France's pension system have also faced widespread protests.

"Let's all work a bit more, collectively speaking, starting off by making sure that everyone respects the working hours that they have been given, in all sectors," Armand said.