Muscat-Kuwait City, 4-9 March 2017
BSQ Solar, along with other eight industrial companies, was selected to participate in a Trade Mission of the Spanish region of Castilla-La Mancha with Oman and Kuwait. This mission, that took place from 4th-9th March, was organized by IPEX, the Foreign Trade and Investment Institute of Castilla-La Mancha, and supported by ICEX (Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade) and the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs through its Muscat and Kuwait City embassies.
The Sultanate of Oman with its 4 million inhabitants and its strategically important position at the mouth of the Persian Gulf is a high-income economy, and ranks among the most peaceful countries in the world. In fact, United Nations has identified Oman as the most improved nation in the world in terms of development during the preceding 40 years.
Spanish trade mission to visit Oman
After a reception of the trade mission at the Oman Chamber of Commerce, each of its members went off to meet a set of B2B meetings with local companies, following the agenda prepared by the embassy. Dr. Ignacio Luque Heredia, attending the mission on behalf of BSQ Solar, had one of the most packed agendas – 10 meetings in 2 days – that proved the high interest for photovoltaics as a new source of electricity in Oman, and how the country’s industrial companies are willing to follow the track being opened by other Gulf countries. These companies where mainly in the EPC (Engineering, Business and Construction) business and arguably making up the full who’s who in this sector of the country.
HCPV technology and its industrial deployment through a high local content model raised a lot of interest, and especially because of the high stimulus that Omani policies put on industries with high local content.
The visit to Oman was closed by a dinner reception at the Spanish Embassy hosted by the Ambassador and the Commercial Attaché.
Next stop for the Spanish Mission was Kuwait, arriving at Kuwait City on March 7th.
The Emirate of Kuwait, with almost the same population as Oman, but 50 times less surface, ranks as the world’s fourth highest country in terms of per capita income, backed by the world’s sixth largest oil reserves.
At Kuwait City the mission stayed at the Hotel Costa del Sol with a hospitable Spanish flavor, and after the briefing by the Head of the Embassy’s Trade Office, we went off for a new set of meetings. Again, BSQ’s agenda with other 10 meetings was among the most packed due to the very high interest in Photovoltaics. Here, the typology of companies that visited was more diverse including, again along with EPCs, sovereign funds and architectural firms.
Kuwait has already began a race for solar and several tenders for large-scale PV projects have already been issued. In this context the competitive advantages of HCPV technology were perceived with much interest.
Overall, BSQ’s participation in this mission was to introduce its technology and plans to 20 relevant stakeholders in both countries, and was highly successful. Presently, BSQ is following up on many of the meetings held and receiving interesting proposals and inquiries by companies in these two countries, which have the highest potential for solar energy development. Big thanks to IPEX and the Spanish embassies of Kuwait City and Muscat for their extraordinary support for the promotion of Spanish companies overseas.
