ABU DHABI: The 18th World Future Energy Summit (WFES) concluded at the ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi on Thursday after an action-packed week of high-level discussions, industry-shaping announcements and landmark international partnerships, reinforcing the UAE’s role as a global hub for the energy transition.
Held as part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week and hosted by Masdar, this year’s Summit — the largest and most ambitious to date — brought together global leaders, policymakers and industry stakeholders from more than 150 countries at a critical juncture for clean energy transformation.
With wind energy in focus on the final day, a WFES report highlighted its rapid emergence as a strategic pillar of the Middle East’s renewable energy mix. Governments and developers across the region are investing billions of dollars in gigawatt-scale wind projects as part of a decisive shift away from hydrocarbon dependence toward diversified, sustainable power generation.
Flagship projects such as Saudi Arabia’s Dumat Al Jandal wind farm, Egypt’s Gulf of Suez developments, and NEOM’s green hydrogen initiative — heavily reliant on wind power — reflect this momentum. Across the region, countries including the UAE, Jordan, Iraq and Morocco are advancing feasibility studies and tenders, paving the way for more than 23 gigawatts of new wind capacity between 2025 and 2030.
Beyond emissions reduction, wind energy is strengthening grid stability by complementing solar power through night-time generation, while also supporting job creation in manufacturing, research and development, supply chains, and energy storage. Analysts expect the coming decade to mark a defining delivery phase for wind power in the Middle East.
Among the Summit’s notable first-time exhibitors was NatureMetrics, a technology firm specialising in biodiversity analytics for renewable energy projects, particularly offshore wind. Using environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling, the company enables developers to assess and monitor biodiversity impacts more efficiently. Its Strategic Partnerships Director Laura Plant cited a UK wind farm project with EDF Energy that delivered 70 per cent more data using significantly less time and manpower.
Major MoU to Support Nigeria’s LNG Expansion
Highlighting the Summit’s role as a platform for global collaboration, a US$700 million MoU and Financing Term Sheet was signed between Securo Investment Group and Ibom LNG & Logistics Base to support a 100 MMSCFD LNG facility in Nigeria’s Akwa Ibom State. Nigeria’s Minister of State for Gas, Ekperikpe Ekpo, said the project would harness the country’s gas resources, create jobs and support a cleaner energy transition while addressing energy poverty across Africa.
UAE–Australia Energy Platform Launched
On the final day, Global CMX announced the launch of its Cross-Border Energy Transaction Platform, aimed at facilitating renewable energy investments between the UAE and Australia under the newly ratified UAE–Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). The platform will focus on solar, wind, long-duration storage, green hydrogen, green fuels and critical minerals, with more than US$2 billion in deals already in the pipeline.
Energy Security and Net Zero Go Hand in Hand
Panel discussions throughout the day rejected the notion that energy security and net-zero ambitions are competing priorities. Industry experts stressed that unchecked climate change ultimately undermines energy security, while hydrogen was highlighted as a key enabler of future decarbonisation — provided clear policies, infrastructure and bankable offtake agreements are put in place.
Closing the Summit, Gareth Rapley, Portfolio Director at RX Global, said the event once again proved to be a catalyst for multi-million-dollar partnerships that will accelerate the transition toward a greener energy ecosystem.
The next World Future Energy Summit will be held from January 12–14, 2027, in Abu Dhabi.
