Already highly involved in the Middle East, European leader in multi-energy solutions GROUPE ATLANTIC participated in PROJECT QATAR between April 30 th to May 3 rd in Doha. Duriing the exhibition, Atlantic intrroduced a new range OF water-heaters specifically designed to suit the region’s conditions.   This French company produces over two million water heaters every year through its 15 industrial facilities located across the world. It has developed over time significant know-how in multi-energy applications for the household, collective and tertiary-sector markets.   GROUPE ATLANTIC has developed four new water-heater models featuring the new design: Ego, O’Pro+, O’Pro Turbo and Steatite , covering a comprehensive range of prices and especially adapted to the aggressive nature of Gulf water. The range combines the 3 technologies that have established the Group’s reputation: -The “Diamond-Quality” enamel that coats the water-heater tanks, providing them with outstanding resistance - The O’Pro technology, patented by the company, which protects both the magnesium anode and the tank. Thanks to this system, the anode’s lifetime is extended by 50%, resulting in the tank being better protected from corrosion and for longer. -The Steatite technology combines a ceramic heating element and an enamelled steel protective cover. This combination helps to provide a large heating surface, reducing scale deposits. In addition, the technology makes it possible to easily replace the heating element without having to empty the water heater. All forms of energy, whether traditional or emerging, are of interest to the company in its quest to provide the most diverse and efficient heating comfort solutions, ranging from the   thermosiphon solar water-heater, amazingly easy to maintain, to electrical convectors and towel heaters that come in elegant, high-performance ranges.      All of the products presented by GROUPE ATLANTIC fully comply with European standards. The company was the first water-heater manufacturer to obtain the ESMA agreement in the United Arab Emirates, and its products also meet the requirements of standards specific to the region (SASO, KUKAS).   Founded in 1968, GROUPE ATLANTIC currently employs over 4,200 people. In 2007, it opened a factory in Egypt that is acknowledged as the Middle East’s largest major industrial plant in this field, and has over the past 10 years developed a strong commercial presence there. Beyond the technical quality and competitiveness of its products, consultants and entrepreneurs particularly appreciate the pre- and post-sales service provided by the company’s local partners. The Group enjoys a host of prestigious references throughout the Gulf.   www.atlantic-confort.com

40 French companies participated in the first French Pavilion led by UBIFRANCE – the French Agency for International Business Development – at the Project Qatar tradeshow between April 30th to May 3rd. After a number of yearly editions, this event is asserting itself as one of the major meeting places for construction professionals. French companies, which include the sector’s largest worldwide groups, seized the opportunity provided by this event to provide innovative solutions appropriate to the field of construction and finishing works. Boosted by winning the hosting of the Football World Cup 2022, Qatar is in the midst of developing in excess of 250b USD’s worth of projects. In 2012 alone, over 22b in new contracts is expected to be signed, mainly concerning infrastructures, retail areas and office space. France, which hosted the World Cup in 1998, enjoys confirmed know-how and possesses acknowledged technology, particularly in innovative materials, sustainable construction and smart buildings. Thanks to its creativity and to the quality of its proposals, the country has taken part in a number of exceptional projects throughout the world. The offer on show by French exhibitors at Project Qatar ranges far and wide, from architecture to tooling, to building construction, finishing works, urban furniture, public works equipment and safety equipment, demonstrating an ongoing focus on innovation. The  French delegation was escorted by various regional bodies: The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Franche-Comté, the SME Association of Rhône-Alpes (CGPME) as well as The Tooling Industry Association (OUTILEX), all of them marshalled in order to optimise the market prospection performed by the above companies in Qatar, and to a wider extent throughout the Middle East.   www.ubifrance.fr

  Alstom has signed a contract worth approximately €50 million with the Ministry of Electricity in Iraq for the rehabilitation of two units at Khor Al Zubair gas-fired power station, located in the Basrah district, south of Iraq. Each unit is based on Alstom’s well proven GT 13 gas turbine technology , originally commissioned in 1977.   The project scope includes the upgrade of the units’ compressors and gas turbines as well as replacement and upgrade of the electrical and control systems. Equipment for the project will be produced at Alstom’s factories in Europe and at Alstom’s Jebel Ali service unit in Dubai.  Alstom is also responsible for installation and comissioning of the unit   The rehabilitation will increase the output of each unit by more than 30 MW , thus adding an extra 60 MW’s to the electricity grid, when compared to their original rating. The upgrade will also increase the power plant efficiency and extend the life of the units significantly. The first rehabilitated unit will be reconnected to the Iraqi electricity network in 2012 and the second unit will be connected before the summer peak of 2013.   This is Alstom’s second rehabilitation project signed in recent times to rebuild Iraq’s energy infrastructure. Alstom is currently also rehabilitating unit 1 of the Najaf gas-fired power station, south of Baghdad, which when completed will contribute again an output of 60 MW to the Iraqi electricity network. In December 2011, Alstom also signed a contract to build the 728 MW Al Mansuriya gas-fired power plant in the Diyala Governorate, northeast of Baghdad, expected to be in operation by early 2013.   About Alstom Alstom is one of the world’s leaders in power generation, power transmission and rail infrastructure and sets the benchmark for innovative and environmentally friendly technologies. Alstom builds the fastest train and the highest capacity automated metro in the world, provides turnkey integrated power plant solutions and associated services for all thermal (coal, nuclear, gas...) and renewable (hydro, wind, solar...) energy sources. It offers a wide range of solutions for power transmission, with a focus on smart grids. The Group employs over 90,000 people in around 100 countries, and had sales of €21 billion in 2010/11.   Press Contacts   Sapna Lalwani (Alstom Thermal Power) – Tel +41 79 486 3798 sapna.lalwani@power.alstom.com Website www.alstom.com

  The Dubai Metro Green Line will open on September 9, making the driverless rail system the world’s longest. The new line has 18 stations over 23 kilometres and covers some of the emirate’s busiest tourist segments along the Creek, crowded residential areas, business districts and ministry offices. Transport officials anticipate the number of passengers will double to 270,000 a day. The launch is part of the Roads and Transport Authority’s strategic plan to improve infrastructure, integrate roads and transit systems, boost use of public transport and ensure smooth mobility, said Mattar Al Tayer, chairman of the board and the RTA’s executive director. The Green Line will open exactly two years to the day after the launch of the Red Line. Fifty trains will operate on both lines at peak times and 28 off-peak, at a frequency of six to eight minutes.

Planemaker Airbus will exceed its forecast for orders from the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region this year, helped by deals to be finalised at the Dubai Air Show in November, a senior executive said. Airbus, which had expected orders for 90 planes, will end the year with a "triple-digit order book", said Habib Fekih, the European planemaker’s president for Middle East. Qatar Airways may be one of the airlines to place orders at the Dubai Air Show, Fekih told Reuters in an interview. "Discussions with Qatar Airways are underway and it is a continuous process. Yes, they could announce something.... a small number of aircraft here or there," he said. The Doha-based carrier had been expected to buy five A380s and 50 A320neo narrowbody airplanes at the Paris Air Show in June, but instead ordered six aircraft from US competitor Boeing. Fekih said the company was currently not in discussions with other regional carriers like Emirates and Eithad Airways. Airlines in the Middle East account for about 9.5 per cent of Airbus’s orders, making it a key market for the plane maker. The region, which has some of the youngest fleet in the world, represents 15 per cent of the firm’s backlog. EU DEBT The Europe debt crisis and the faltering US economy have held back global clients struggling to get loans for payment, said Fekih, but said the impact was limited. "Maybe some alliance could have immediate difficulty during the coming weeks or months to have access to loans...but this will be very limited," he said, adding that this has not had much impact in the Mena region. Airbus’ sales chief John Leahy said earlier this month that he expected aircraft production to be flat or slightly higher in the event of another global economic downturn.

DP World , one of the world’s largest ports operator, posted a near four-fold increase in its first-half profit as it booked a $436 million gain from the sale of its Australian port operations last year.      First half profits, including the sale, was $705 million compared with $177 million in the same period in 2010, DP World said in a statement on Thursday.      The world’s third-largest port operator sold 75 percent of its Australian port operations for $1.5 billion last year, and its shares began trading on the London Stock Exchange in June.        Excluding the gain from sale, profits stood at $246 million, compared with $164 million for the same period last year, the company said. Gross volumes in the first half of the year climbed to 26.2 million TEU or twenty-foot equivalent container units.    First-half revenues increased 3 percent to $1.5 billion, DP World, whose shares began trading on the London stock exchange in June, said.      The company, one of the more profitable assets of debt-laden Dubai World , said it was well-positioned to meet its $3 billion upcoming debt maturity in October 2012. It had $4.1 billion in cash at the end of June 30, 2011.      DP World bought controlling interest in two port services firms in Suriname last month for an undisclosed amount.

  Masdar today announced its collaboration with RTI International, an independent non-profit research institute, on a high potential carbon capture technology research project set to revolutionize the carbon capture and storage (CCS) space. The project will examine the use of solid sorbent technology for the capture of carbon dioxide (CO2) from coal and gas-fired power station flue gases, targeting a significant cost reduction in carbon dioxide capture over the best available technology today. The US Department of Energy (DoE) and Masdar are co-funding the innovative research in an agreement that sees Masdar provide an additional US$0.7 million in funding to the US Department of Energy’s core US$3-million budget. Bader Al Lamki, Associate Director of Masdar Carbon, explained: “Masdar Carbon is committed to the innovation and development of clean fossil fuel technologies aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions both locally and globally. We are excited to work with RTI International and the US Department of Energy on this innovative project which has the potential to revolutionize both the economics and technology of CCS practices.” In addition, Masdar Institute is working with RTI International to extend the research scope into the technology’s application for gas-fired power station flue gases. Dr Fred Moavenzadeh, President of the Masdar Institute, commented: “We at Masdar Institute are very happy to participate in this important and timely collaborative research project. Our research agenda emphasizes clean energy and sustainable technology. We look forward to a very productive and constructive collaboration with our colleagues at DoE and RTI.” David Myers, Vice-President of RTI’s Engineering and Technology Unit, remarked: “The process technology is at a mature stage and initial sorbent tests indicate very positive results. We appreciate the confidence that Masdar and the US Department of Energy have in our research capability and look forward to a mutually beneficial working relationship.” Additional project participants include Pennsylvania State University, who bring the novel sorbent material to the project, Süd-Chemie Inc., who will produce the sorbent for large-scale testing, and Foster Wheeler USA, who will provide a technology assessment and engineering expertise. The project will strengthen the wider strategic cooperation agreement between the US Department of Energy (DoE) and renewable energy pioneer Masdar. The DoE and Masdar signed an MOU in 2010 aimed at establishing a framework for mutually beneficial energy cooperation and various forms of collaboration in eight different areas including carbon capture technologies. RTI International has been a research partner of the DoE for over 25 years, with about 11 years of work in the field of carbon capture through a dedicated research and development team. Carbon capture and storage technology aims to capture carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere during the combustion of fossil fuels for power production or other industrial purposes. The captured carbon dioxide can then be transported via pipelines and sequestered in deep geological formations. About Masdar Carbon Masdar Carbon, one of the five integrated units of Masdar, specialises in developing energy efficiency and clean fossil fuel projects that reduce carbon emissions while creating additional value through carbon monetization under international policy. It offers comprehensive Carbon Management Solutions including technical assistance, project management, carbon finance and emissions trading to asset owners across the world. For further information, please visit www.masdar.ae About RTI International RTI International is one of the world’s leading research institutes, dedicated to improving the human condition by turning knowledge into practice. Our staff of more than 2,800 provides research and technical services to governments and businesses in more than 40 countries in the areas of health and pharmaceuticals, education and training, surveys and statistics, advanced technology, international development, economic and social policy, energy and the environment, and laboratory testing and chemical analysis. For further information, please visit www.rti.org .