NEXTCHEM aims to boost Middle East energy transition

NEXTCHEM (MAIRE), a leader in technological solutions for industrialising the energy transition, has officially opened its new regional office in Abu Dhabi, marking a significant step in the company’s strategic expansion across the Middle East.

As part of the MAIRE Group, NEXTCHEM brings the expertise of a multinational engineering player in downstream energy services with strong Italian roots. The group operates in 50 countries, employs over 10,200 professionals, and has completed more than 1,500 projects worldwide.

MAIRE has maintained a presence in the UAE since the late 1990s through its engineering and construction unit, TECNIMONT, delivering key projects that support the region’s economic and social development. Currently, TECNIMONT and NEXTCHEM are both involved in ADNOC’s Hail and Ghasha onshore development, a major global initiative aimed at decarbonising the gas processing industry. The group also carries out strategic projects in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman.

NEXTCHEM heads MAIRE’s Sustainable Technology Solutions (STS) business unit and is now reinforcing its Middle East footprint with a portfolio of advanced technologies and innovative solutions. Its focus spans three core areas: Sustainable Fertilisers and Nitrogen-Based Fuels, Low-Carbon Energy Vectors, and Sustainable Materials and Circular Solutions, all designed to support the region’s decarbonisation goals.

Industrial innovation

The Abu Dhabi office opening brought together members of MAIRE’s Board of Directors, senior executives from NEXTCHEM, ADNOC officials, and other industry leaders. Attendees included H.E. Lorenzo Fanara, Italian Ambassador to the UAE, Mr. Hazeem Al Suwaidi, CEO of BOROUGE Group, and Mr. Youssef Al Nowais, MAIRE’s long-term industrial partner and shareholder.

The new Abu Dhabi office positions NEXTCHEM to better collaborate with regional partners and clients, enabling faster deployment of low-carbon technologies and sustainable industrial solutions across the Gulf. The company’s move reflects the growing focus in the Middle East on sustainable energy development, innovative industrial technologies, and the transition to a low-carbon economy.

NEXTCHEM’s expansion in the region highlights the company’s long-term commitment to driving industrial innovation and sustainability, leveraging both local expertise and global capabilities to support critical projects that align with the UAE’s energy and climate ambitions.

“The opening of NEXTCHEM’s regional offices underscores our long-term commitment to the UAE and the wider Middle East region,” said Mohammed Nafid, Middle East STS region vice president. “Building on two decades of trusted engineering know-how through TECNIMONT, we are now bringing NEXTCHEM’s technology portfolio to support the decarbonization objectives of our clients. Customers are looking for partners that can combine proven project delivery with innovative, competitive, economically viable technological solutions,” added Nafid, “Our Abu Dhabi base will allow us to work even more closely with stakeholders to reinforce the region’s global leadership in the energy transition —project by project.”