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Middle East Energy 2026 officially opened today at Dubai World Trade Centre, celebrating the landmark 50th edition of the region’s leading energy event.
The event was opened with high-level ceremony and walkthrough by H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, and Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, alongside David Lynn, CEO, inD, who toured the exhibition to engage with leading energy companies and explore the latest technologies and solutions shaping the sector.
In his opening address, Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, said, “The UAE continues to build one of the region’s most diversified energy portfolios, strengthening energy security while accelerating the transition towards cleaner and more sustainable sources of energy. From the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant to the world’s largest 24/7 solar-plus-storage project, with a planned capacity of 5.2 GW of solar power and 19 GWh of battery storage, we are demonstrating that energy security, sustainability and economic growth can progress together.”
He added, “However, achieving a sustainable, resilient and energy-secure energy future requires collective action. Governments, industry, investors, technology companies, academia and financial institutions must work together to meet the world’s growing demand for power. We need to accelerate energy efficiency, drive innovation, reduce costs, and develop technologies that can capture and minimize energy losses across our systems.
“Greater investment in electricity interconnectivity between countries and regions will also be essential to building more efficient, resilient, and optimized energy systems. Stronger interconnected grids can unlock significant economic and operational value, improve energy security, and enable cleaner energy to be shared more effectively across borders.”
Al Mazrouei encouraged everyone participating in Middle East Energy to use the dialogue and discussions taking place here to translate ambition into practical action, strengthen partnerships and accelerate the work already underway in the UAE and around the world.
He said, “Our shared goal must be clear: to build cleaner, more efficient and better-connected energy systems capable of meeting the needs of future generations.”
The opening ceremony featured keynote speakers with David Lynn, CEO, inD and distinguished speakers from Bahrain, Africa and European Union asserting the global importance of energy resilience.
Speaking at Middle East Energy, Yaser bin Ebrahim Humaidan, Minister of Electricity and Water Affairs, Kingdom of Bahrain, stated the role of the Middle East as a global player in the world of energy.
He said, “The Gulf’s strategic position has never carried greater weight. As global energy security rises to the top of political agendas, this region’s ability to deliver reliable, abundant, and increasingly clean power can shape markets far beyond our borders.
“The next 50 years will not be defined by any single technology or any single policy. They will be defined by how effectively we integrate decarbonisation, digitalisation, and resilience at the speed the demand curve and the climate curve both require.”
Sharing Nigeria’s position on building for future demand, Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, Federal Minister of Power, Nigeria, added, “Storms we cannot forecast will come, but history teaches that energy security has never been won by those who retreated behind their borders. It has been won by those who built grids, pipelines, ports, institutions, and above all, trust. Nigeria has chosen to build. Africa has chosen to build.”
Giving a European position on the energy transition, Lucie Berger, Ambassador of the European Union to the United Arab Emirates, stated, “We live in an age of irreversible energy transitions. The countries and regions that build resilient, diversified clean tech energy systems will be more secure and more prosperous.
“Those that cling to old models will fall behind. The Middle East and Europe possess every ingredient for success: renewable resources at scale and the private sector capital needed to drive this transition. What is required now is action. The European Union is committed to deploying resources and mobilising our companies to partner on concrete projects and investments that deliver results. Let’s build this energy future together through real business partnerships and tangible projects.”
Francesco La Camera, Director-General from International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), also added, “The energy transition is therefore not only about adding renewable capacity. It is about building more resilient, flexible, and secure energy systems supported by investment in grids, storage, digitalisation, and system flexibility. The energy systems we build this decade will shape our climate economic outcomes, economic competitiveness, and strategic resilience over decades to come.”
Middle East Energy 2026 has uniquely positioned all of these conversations into one place, as it opened today’s Leadership Summit, with a global view on energy resilience, security and rising demand.
The first day of the event also features more than 30 further sessions featuring speakers Eng. Mozah Alnuaimi, Chief AI Officer Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure, UAE; Jennifer Granholm, Secretary of Energy (2021-2025) and 47th Governor of Michigan (2002- 2011); Prof. Rae Known Chung, Former Climate Change Ambassador for South Korea, Winner of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize; Chris Skidmore, Interim Minister of State for Energy and Clean Growth of United Kingdom from May to July 2019; Dr. Abdulla Humaid Saif Al Jarwan, Chairman of the Department of Energy; plus specialist sessions in the Technical Excellence Forum, The Battery Show Forum, Intersolar Middle East Conference and Energy Storage Middle East.
Today also hosted the first ever session of the Dubai Global Leaders Series, exclusive roundtables, networking and summits, hosted by the Dubai Department of Economy & Tourism and inD, bringing together closed-door VIP leadership discussions on policy, technology and capital, which start at Middle East Energy and continue across leading exhibitions in Dubai.
Taking place from 1–3 September, this year’s event will also see exclusive MOU signings including Siemens, Honeywell, Schneider Electric, First Abu Dhabi Bank, Hitachi Energy, as well as the Union Iron & Steel due to take place on the second day; confirming Middle East Energy’s position at the centre of capital investment in the energy space.
The 3-day show is a global meeting point for trade professionals, investors and policy makers driving the evolution of energy infrastructure; bringing together 1500+ exhibitors and thousands of participants from more than 120 countries.
