UAE Leads With Pragmatic Policies And Bold Partnerships To Drive Economic Growth

ADIPEC 2025 commenced in Abu Dhabi, under the patronage of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Hosted by ADNOC, the event will run until Thursday, 6th November. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and ADNOC Managing Director and Group CEO, urged energy leaders to adopt pragmatic policies and partnerships to enhance job creation, socioeconomic growth, and global competitiveness.

Dr. Al Jaber highlighted ADNOC's achievements as evidence of the UAE's practical approach that leverages technology for progress. "At ADNOC, we are using every technology available, including AI and robotics to collapse time and expand value," he stated. He emphasised that their flagship programme aims to make production forecasts 90 percent more accurate.

Dr. Al Jaber noted that $4 trillion annual investment is needed in grids, data centres, and energy sources. He stressed that "you can’t run tomorrow’s economy on yesterday’s grid." Electricity demand is expected to surge through 2040 as power for data centres grows four-fold, with 1.5 billion people moving into cities.

The global airline fleet is set to double from 25,000 to 50,000 planes by 2040. Consequently, renewables will more than double; LNG will grow by 50 percent; jet fuel will increase over 30 percent; oil usage will remain above 100 million barrels per day beyond 2040.

The ENACT Majlis convened leaders from energy, technology, finance, and policy sectors on the eve of ADIPEC to discuss how AI could turbo-charge economies. Dr. Al Jaber summarised that reliable baseload energy is crucial for economies to grow at AI speed. Gas provides over a quarter of the power needed by data centres.

He added that a shortage of gas turbines is causing supply issues and raising electricity prices. Infrastructure development lags behind needs; six million kilometres of new transmission lines are required by 2050. Capital investment is essential but must be directed correctly.

UAE's Investment Appeal

Dr. Al Jaber detailed how the UAE remains an attractive investment destination with ADNOC playing a key role in forming long-term partnerships. "When efficiency counts, this is where the lowest cost and lowest carbon barrels live," he said. The UAE offers certainty for capital with solid governance and rule of law.

ADNOC's international investment arm XRG has secured gas deals in Mozambique, Egypt, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and the United States while seeking further opportunities across the gas value chain. They are building a global chemicals footprint across five continents.

Unity Through Flag Day

Concluding his address on UAE Flag Day coinciding with ADIPEC's opening day, Dr. Al Jaber remarked on its significance as a moment of national unity and pride. "We all look up and we honor our flag in a moment of pride," he said.

"The lessons from this moment for our industry are clear," he continued. Real progress requires collective effort rather than individual actions or single companies' initiatives; it stems from shared purpose and resilience driving us forward.

With inputs from WAM