The six key people in the region’s growing wind energy industry are: Ziad Jibril Sabra, Laila Georgy Youssef, Joseph Anis, Ali Neyzi, Jan Pieter Cools-Wildiers and Amal Haddouche
Ziad Jibril Sabra
Position: Director of alternative energy and energy efficiency, Energy & Mineral Resources Ministry, Jordan
Biography: Ziad Jibril Sabra is overseeing plans to introduce 600MW of wind power generation capacity to Jordan by 2015. The contract to build the first 40MW farm at Al-Khamsah is about to be awarded. This will be followed by an award for an 80-90MW site at Fujeij. Success at Al-Khamsah and Fujeij will ensure the future of a further three wind farms. Prior to becoming director of the alternative energy and energy efficiency department, Sabra was head of renewable-energy applications and head of non-conventional power generation at the electricity department. He is also a member of the international steering committee of the World Renewable Energy Congress. He has a degree in mechanical engineering/thermal power and completed two years post-graduate study in Italy and Germany.
Contact Tel: (+962) 6586 5714
Laila Georgy Youssef
Position: General manager, wind energy department, New & Renewable Energy Authority (NREA), Egypt
Biography: Egypt’s wind energy plans are the most advanced in the Middle East and North Africa region. Laila Georgy Youssef and her team at the NREA have the task of ensuring the country achieves a target of generating 7,200MW of power from wind energy by 2020. To date, 430MW of wind energy is produced at Zafarana in the Gulf of Suez and the authority plans to increase this to 1,230MW by 2014. Other projects are planned using a variety of business models, from private 250MW wind farms to small-scale localised generation of less than 50MW. An engineer by background, Youssef also holds the position of managing director of the technical affairs section of the NREA. She is active in promoting the use of all renewable technologies, including solar power, and represents the NREA at international forums.
Contact Tel: (+20) 2736 952
Joseph Anis
Position: President, Middle East, GE Energy
Biography: Joseph Anis is responsible for driving growth across the entire GE Energy portfolio in the region, including wind energy. He began his career with the US’ GE in 1997 at the GE Power Controls joint venture in Cairo’s Nasr City free zone. He moved to GE Energy in 2000 as the e-business leader for the Africa, India and Middle East regions. In 2001, he was appointed power generation sales manager for the UAE. In 2007, he was appointed GE Energy’s regional executive for the Middle East, before progressing to become president for the Middle East region. Under his leadership, the power generation business has produced strong growth in the region. GE Energy has a long-standing presence in the Middle East and today employs more than 1,000 people in the region, with offices in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt.
Contact Tel: (+9714) 429 6559
Ali Neyzi
Position: Managing director, Turkey and the Middle East, Vestas
Biography: Ali Neyzi is regional managing director for Danish wind energy giant Vestas. This year, the company has made the region a priority for securing new business, establishing a Middle East base in Turkey, as well as an office in Beirut, Lebanon, in July. It is already bidding for projects in the region and is encouraging governments to further their commitment to wind energy. Neyzi joined Vestas from Turkish private power producer Zorlu Energy, where he was involved in building the country’s first 135MW wind farm. Prior to this, he worked for conglomerate KOC Group. He has 30 years’ experience in the power industry, with 11 years at senior management level. He has a degree in electrical engineering and computer science from the US’ Princeton University and completed a course in strategic marketing at Harvard Business School.
Contact:aliny@vestas.com
Jan Pieter Cools-Wildiers
Position: Sales director, Middle East and Africa, Siemens Wind Power
Biography: Jan Pieter Cools-Wildiers has headed the Middle East and Africa sales team for Siemens Wind Power since June 2008. The firm is currently bidding for several projects in the region, including the Dernah wind farm in Libya. He previously worked in Siemens’ telecoms division, moving into wind energy after the integration of its telecoms business into the Nokia-Siemens group. As marketing director for telecoms, he contributed to the launch of mobile telephony in Spain. He then expanded Siemens’ technology export business in Africa and the Middle East, and from 2006 was based in Singapore, heading the Asia Pacific region. Cools-Wildiers joined Siemens after six years as a management consultant. He graduated from the University of Toronto in Canada and holds business and philosophy degrees from the University of Louvain, Belgium.
Contact Tel: (+202) 33333660
Amal Haddouche
Position: General manager, Renewable Energy Development Centre, Morocco
Biography: Amal Haddouche has been head of the state-backed Renewable Energy Development Centre since May 2005. Under her leadership, the centre has been striving to increase the contribution wind energy makes to Morocco’s generating capacity. Morocco’s strategy is to support industries supplying the energy sector, to create jobs and stimulate local economies. Wind farms currently produce about 124MW of Morocco’s energy. The plan is to reach 600MW of wind-generated capacity by 2010 and 1,000MW by 2012. Projects with a total capacity of 394MW are under way in Taza, Tetouan, Tarfaya, Essaouira and Tangier. Haddouche has a degree in engineering from the Mohammadia School of Engineering in Morocco. She joined the Moroccan Energy Ministry in 1987, occupying posts including chief engineer for energy policy.
Contact Tel: (+212) 430 9822
- Next week: Bahrain/industry
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