The panel emphasised the need for small modular reactors

As the urgency to reach net zero emissions by 2050 intensifies, nuclear energy has emerged as a crucial pillar in the global transition away from fossil fuels.

At a panel during ADIPEC 2025 titled "Nuclear Energy Opportunities" in the UAE, experts from regulatory, industry, and technology backgrounds explored how advanced nuclear solutions, particularly Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and fusion technology—can accelerate progress while addressing perennial challenges.

Christa Victorsson, director general of the UAE’s Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR), emphasised early engagement with industry and global collaboration as vital for regulatory efficiency and innovation. “Early engagement is very, very essential,” Victorsson encouraged. “Approach us. Come to us if you have any ideas or needs in this topic...Collaboration is the new currency.”

Veteran energy policy expert Nobuo Tanaka, CEO of Tanaka Global and former executive director of the International Energy Agency, spoke to the complex public perception issues nuclear must overcome, especially after events like Fukushima. Tanaka highlighted, “There are three major conditions for deploying new technologies: safety or risk minimisation, waste management, and addressing proliferation risks.” He stressed that public trust depends on transparent communication about how new reactor designs can make nuclear power safer and more sustainable.

Enhancing energy security

On the frontier of clean energy technology, Hideki Yoshino, CEO of Clean Planet in Japan, introduced the promise of solid-state fusion, which his company is working to commercialise. “Our type of fusion makes abundant scalable energy, with no CO₂ and no radiation,” Yoshino explained. He envisions this technology eventually being deployed everywhere from homes to schools and industries, supporting both decarbonisation and energy security.

Providing a strategic industry perspective, Giovanni Sale, Senior Vice President of Corporate and Business Strategy at MAIRE, outlined the enormous energy demand driven by decarbonisation goals, automation, and the rise of data infrastructure. “SMR in the future, the advanced nuclear reactor, definitely, they need to take a place, because otherwise we cannot match the inspiration that nowadays we can read in any newspaper,” Sale stated. He stressed that SMRs have the flexibility to serve private investors, data centres, and heavy industry alike.

Beyond technical and commercial considerations, the panellists all agreed that robust regulation, international cooperation, and transparent communication with the public are critical to building trust and ensuring proliferation resistance. Victorsson described the UAE’s journey explaining, “Transparency was principle number one. Security, safety, non-proliferation, and long-term sustainability. These are very important principles.”

As the panel concluded, the path forward for nuclear energy became clear: work together globally, communicate benefits and risks openly, and continue developing game-changing technologies like SMRs and fusion. Only then can nuclear fully realise its promise as a safe, scalable tool for a sustainable energy future.

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AI and energy leaders unite to drive digital sustainability

ADIPEC 2025 calls for AI-driven energy growth

Leaders from the energy and technology sectors gathered to discuss the critical intersection of AI and energy efficiency

At this year’s ADIPEC in Abu Dhabi, leaders from the energy and technology sectors gathered to discuss the critical intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and energy efficiency, focusing on how digital innovation can drive sustainability in the global energy landscape.

Kicking off the conversation, Walid Sheta, president, Middle East and Africa for Schneider Electric, spoke candidly about the fundamental role of decarbonisation, stating, “Sustainable development is based on decarbonisation. Decarbonisation requires electrification, and electrification requires digitalisation.”

He emphasised the evolving efficiency of electric transmission but warned that “electrification, just for electrification, doesn’t fly. You need to use the efficiency of it... to do that, you need digitalisation.”

Sheta highlighted AI’s transformative potential with real-world examples. “You can predict the leakages of water pipes in a city by using AI without having sensors and pipes everywhere, and even predicting the failures and preventing them, hence reducing what you are using of power as desalination,” he said.

Growing demand

However, Sheta also sounded a note of caution regarding energy demand, adding “AI is consuming a lot of energy because of the nature of the data centres… today 1% of the energy that is consumed on the planet [is by data centres]. It's planned to reach 3% and 4%...”

Chinmoy Baruah, Founder and CEO of CHIPX Group, underscored the industry’s advancements in efficiency. “We at Chip X are delivering the most energy efficient semiconductor chips for the global industry... We can reduce energy consumption by more than 50% and deliver the same amount of work done running the whole GPUs that NVIDIA and AMD are using currently.”

On the issue of energy access, Esam Al Murawwi, chief projects officer for TAQA Transmission, commented, “We could utilise the AI learning mechanism to support us close that gap. But currently, it’s widening that gap.”

Jens Madrian, acting CEO of ENOWA, shared insights on system-wide AI integration, “You have the kind of standard, no-brainer cases, like detecting water leakage... ROI of these projects are fantastic.” Beyond maintenance, he envisioned a broader future, saying, “We apply AI on a total system basis... our control center doesn’t look like one of these screens you’re looking at here with all those lines... for us, it's almost like a container on site, managed and dispatched instantly.”

As showcased at ADIPEC, the dialogue confirmed the immense challenges and opportunities in aligning AI and energy. Panelists agreed that proactive innovation and cross-sector collaboration will be vital in creating sustainable, efficient, and resilient energy systems for the future.

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ADIPEC 2025 calls for AI-driven energy growth

SNOC, Siemens partner to explore natural hydrogen

Al Masaood brings Instagrid’s emission-free portable power to UAE

OEG secures three multi-year Qatar contracts, investing in new equipment and expanding operations across the Middle East. (Image source: OEG)

OEG has strengthened its presence in the Middle East with three multi-year contract awards and renewals in Qatar, reinforcing the company’s long-standing partnerships and commitment to sustainable regional growth

The agreements cover the rental of nearly 700 units, including technical and lifting assets, cementing long-term collaboration with a leading oilfield services company, another major service provider, and a prominent E&P organisation.

To support these operations, OEG has invested around US$6mn in approximately 650 new pieces of advanced equipment, specifically designed for the challenging conditions of the Middle East. This investment enhances OEG’s market position and customer retention across Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, and is projected to generate up to US$2.8mn in year-on-year growth while strengthening its regional operational footprint.

The company has also expanded its team, adding 10 employees across industrial gases, HSEQ, finance, and operations. In the UAE, this includes Peter Steyn as Regional Sales Manager, Abdulhalim Khamis as Senior HSEQ Manager, and Suresh Shanmugam as Industrial Gas Specialist.

With 35,000 m² of yard and office space across the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, OEG’s 40-strong regional team now operates one of the most advanced hubs for high-volume unit handling in the region.

The largest of the new contracts covers more than 550 assets, including enhanced oil recovery, and introduces OEG’s technical innovation: IMDG-certified nitrogen quads mated with a DNV-certified lifting frame. This solution allows higher-pressure gas delivery without additional boosting equipment, improving safety, efficiency, and operational flexibility.

The second agreement, executed through OEG’s local partner Venture Gulf Engineering, a subsidiary of Al Nasar Holdings, involves around 120 cargo container units (CCUs) and continues the companies’ long-standing partnership.

The third is a contract extension until next June, building on a collaboration established in 2019, which now utilises over 2,000 OEG assets.

Chris Kleinhans, OEG regional director for the Middle East, said, “We’re very proud to continue the momentum for our business in Qatar through this trio of contracts. They reflect the strength of the relationships we’ve built across the region and the confidence our clients have in our integrated, full-service capability to deliver a rapid and reliable response.

“Our One Energy Group model is creating real value and positioning us for sustainable growth, both regionally and globally, as we diversify into new industrial markets. For example, one of the Qatar contract extensions expands our existing scope with the client by around 40%. It also opens opportunities in adjacent sectors for our new nitrogen quad transportation solution — including healthcare, manufacturing, and agriculture — where demand for industrial gases continues to rise. Together, these achievements further anchor OEG for its next phase of growth across traditional and emerging energy sectors in the region.”

The collaboration expands ongoing technical studies by Decahydron and SNOC. (Image source: Decahydron)

The northern Emirates is considering natural hydrogen as a medium for power generation or other industrial uses, as Sharjah National Oil Corporation and Siemens Energy has collaborated with Decahydron, a natural hydrogen and carbon mineralisation company, to assess its feasibility

The collaboration expands ongoing technical studies by Decahydron and SNOC on an existing exploration well in Sharjah to assess the Emirate’s natural hydrogen potential. Early results are encouraging, with drilling planned for 2026 in order to provide detailed resource data and measured flow rates.

The project intends to avoid storage and transport costs while creating a new low-carbon energy source for the UAE, which could be used for energy-intensive facilities such as data centres.

Khamis Al Mazrouei, CEO of SNOC, said, “We look forward to advancing this feasibility study in parallel with our ongoing exploration activities. The potential discovery of natural hydrogen could mark a new chapter in Sharjah’s energy landscape — providing an abundant, naturally occurring source of clean energy. If proven viable, it would not only strengthen Sharjah’s role in the national energy transition but also reaffirm SNOC’s commitment to driving sustainable, secure, and resilient energy solutions for generations to come.”

Khalid Bin Hadi, managing director UAE, Siemens Energy, remarked, “Hydrogen has the potential to be central to the decarbonisation of the power sector, and our technology is ready to enable this transition. This collaboration marks the start of a new initiative to explore the potential of natural hydrogen as a clean, sustainable energy source for the region.”

Arnaud Lager, CEO of Decahydron, stated, “Natural hydrogen has the potential to transform the energy landscape. Our early findings suggest that this resource could redefine how clean hydrogen is produced by offering an abundant and continuous supply directly from the Earth. This is the right moment for the energy industry to come together and prepare for the opportunities that natural hydrogen will bring. Our work indicates that Sharjah and the northern Emirates hold exceptional potential, a finding also supported by independent research from the Colorado School of Mines and the Université de Pau.”