The Danish Embassy in Egypt and Danfoss, the global leader in engineering solutions, joined forces to bring public and private actors in an innovative forum dubbed “Transformation Starts Here.”
The participants included, Administrative Capital for Urban Development, Egypt Green Building Council, and Khalifa Consulting Group, as well as other international institutions to discuss the future of sustainable cities.
The forum brought together experts to converse on how Danfoss and other industry players can improve Egypt’s cities for the future, utilising collaborations between sectors, combine electricity, heating, cooling, water, and wastewater in order to manage energy demand and supply in a smart way.
The Egyptian Government has put into motion its Sustainable Development Strategy: Egypt Vision 2030, with a focus on an environmental pillar, integrating all economic sectors to preserve natural resources while supporting their efficient use and investment. “Transformation Starts Here” touched upon the government’s aspirations while providing solutions, and further emphasising the belief that urban development needs to be a balanced spatial development.
Ziad Al-Bawaliz, Danfoss’s regional president, expressed his pride in bringing this forum together with the Danish Embassy, highlighting the large potential and many opportunities in Egypt. “Recent studies in Egypt have shown that economic sectors can reduce energy consumption by 5 to 20% without compromising output, meaning that Egypt stands on the verge of sustainable transformation.”
Investments in energy productivity require partnerships, collaborations, and dialogue which was the aim of the “Transformation Starts Here” forum. “With the right vision and the right legislative framework, energy productivity can be harvested. If we manage to take advantage of the invisible reservoir of energy productivity that lies in Egypt, we will make oil and gas fields last longer. We will do more with the new wind and solar electricity supply, we will reduce peak loads and system costs, and we will free additional gas and oil for export,” continues Bawaliz
Camilla Rasmussen, deputy head of mission at the Danish Embassy in Egypt, shared the Danish experience which has seen great success in the field of urban efficiency and smart cities over the past decade, highlighting the importance of dialogue and knowledge sharing, including collaborations between the public and private sector.
Urban resource efficiency is the most effective way to turn challenges into opportunities, increase productivity, and improve the health and well-being of citizens.
