Irish companies score high on cleantech in the Middle East at WETEX

Irish companies participating at virtual WETEX this year have been making waves in the cleantech sector in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, through major deals in the region and via exciting expansion plans. 

Ireland is a major cleantech international hub with over 500 cleantech companies operating which saw global exports from the sector rise by $85 million USD on the previous year to the value of around $535 million USD last year and fuelled growth in jobs with an increase of 9 per cent compared to the previous year. 

The Middle East region, especially the UAE and Saudi Arabia, are key strategic priority markets for many cleantech companies in Ireland as they contribute their innovative expertise, products, and solutions helping Government and private entities to achieve the national agendas such as the UAE Energy Strategy 2050 which aims to increase the contribution of clean energy in the total energy mix from 25 per cent to 50 per cent by 2050, reduce the carbon footprint, and increase the consumption efficiency of individuals and corporates by 40 per cent. 

“Ireland and the UAE year on year continue to strengthen the strong working relationships and partnerships in place between companies here and Ireland which has seen exports to the UAE from Ireland increase by 15 percent over the last year. In particular, the Irish cleantech sector which has fast established a global reputation for innovation is playing a bigger role in the region as UAE companies look towards implementing solutions to advance their sustainability ambitions”, said ConorFahy, Regional Director of Enterprise Ireland – the Irish government’s state agency for trade promotion, representing cleantech companies at WETEX. 

Out of the six Irish firms participating at WETEX this year, three have issued major announcements and deals, with more in the pipeline:

NuLumenTek – the specialists in sustainable energy solutions with a key focus on design, manufacture and supply of energy efficient led lighting systems, has been approved as an official energy solution provider for Dubai-based Etihad Esco. 

Commenting on the announcement, Jim Healy, MD of NuLumenTek said, “It is an honour to be an official sustainable energy solutions partner for Etihad Esco. The UAE is an exciting market for us with great potential, policy and infrastructure to support the growth of the cleantech sector. We have a lot more exciting opportunities planned for the country and the region”

Operating in the region since 2012, and with offices in Masdar City Abu Dhabi, Jeddah and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, NuLumenTek completed one of the largest LED lighting retrofits projects in the Middle East with the KSA division of Jones Engineering Group, and is keen to expand in the region, with plans to open a branch office in Dubai in December.

Another exciting announcement came from technology pioneer Automsoft – the global data solutions provider for industrial automation, smart cities and Internet of Things, who appointed MCPM – a technology integrator and distributor, as a Value-Added reseller in the Middle East. 

Automsoft are widely known for launching the world’s fastest and highest performing data historian – completely re-thinking conventions on technology and the management of time series data. 

“The UAE and the wider region is a key market for us, and we couldn’t have chosen a better partner than MCPM who are known for delivering technologies that enable customers to gain insights from their data, thereby reducing costs and ultimately increasing quality and efficiency. We are delighted to be working with them and look forward to many more inspired partnerships in the region”, said Paraic O’Toole, CEO of Automsoft. 

Green BioFuels Ireland also announced the opening of a new office in the Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA), set up to carry out a feasibility study of sourcing sustainable waste oils and residues in the Middle East for the production of Biodiesel. 

Participating at WETEX this year are Automsoft, ESB International, Green Biofuels Ireland, NuLumenTek, ResourceKraft and Suparule Systems.