Sheikh Khaled reviews latest innovations at utilities congress

His Highness Sheikh Khaled Bin Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, has attended the 4th World Utilities Congress, hosted by Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi from 27th to 29th May 2025.

During the visit, Sheikh Khaled toured several stands of national entities and companies, including Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, TAQA, Enercap — a subsidiary of Apex Investment PSC, and Elsewedy Electric.

Sheikh Khaled reviewed the latest innovations in the water, electricity, and utilities management sectors, and the ongoing efforts of national stakeholders to advance sustainability practices across the industry.

The  three-day event convened global decision-makers and experts and featured high-level discussions, pioneering technological solutions and strategic initiatives driving progress across the power and water utilities sectors.

This year’s edition welcomed more than 18,000 attendees, 1,400 delegates, and in excess of 500 thought leaders from around the world, further enhancing innovation and reinforcing sustainable and environmentally friendly practices in the utilities sector, amid growing global demand for energy and water.

The 4th World Utilities Congress focused on digital transformation, artificial intelligence, resilient smart-grid systems, and sustainable funding for projects powered by renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, to drive practical, future-ready solutions for the challenges facing the utilities sector.

During the visit, Sheikh Khaled Bin Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan was accompanied by Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman of the Department of Municipalities and Transport, Dr Abdulla Humaid Al Jarwan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, Saif Saeed Ghobash, Secretary-General of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of the Office of the Crown Prince, Jasim Husain Thabet, Group CEO and Managing Director of TAQA, and Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, Managing Director and Group CEO of ADNEC.

Tabreed’s network: National Central Cooling Company, Tabreed, operates a district cooling network comprising 92 plants across six countries, delivering over 1.3 million refrigeration tonnes to its customers, all centrally managed through its control centre in Abu Dhabi.

Speaking on the sidelines of the World Utilities Congress held at ADNEC in Abu Dhabi, Khalid Al Marzooqi, Chief Executive Officer of Tabreed, said artificial intelligence will play a pivotal role in the next phase of enhancing energy efficiency in district cooling operations and reducing further carbon emissions.

He highlighted that Tabreed is the first district cooling company in the region to collect vast volumes of real operational data over more than 27 years, which has enabled it to accelerate digital transformation and implement AI in its operations. This is demonstrated through its control and monitoring centre located on Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, which remotely oversees and manages all of Tabreed’s plants across the six countries.

Al Marzooqi added that reaching this level means full automation of plant operations and activation of 24/7 monitoring and control systems, laying the groundwork for the next step-leveraging AI capabilities to proactively optimise plant performance and align production with cooling demand.

This, he explained, boosts energy efficiency, reduces pressure on power grids, and ultimately enhances the role of district cooling in cutting carbon emissions and supporting global efforts to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

Strategic platform: Elsewedy Electric Transmission and Distribution (Elsewedy Electric T&D) has affirmed that its participation in the World Utilities Congress 2025 serves as a strategic platform for engaging with key clients, partners and suppliers.

Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Hani Shehata, Chief Executive Officer of Elsewedy Electric T&D, said the current edition saw the announcement of new engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) projects signed with Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA).

He noted that being present at a global event of this scale offers an ideal opportunity to showcase the latest technologies adopted by the company. Among the innovations unveiled is an advanced artificial intelligence-powered solution for project control, which allows remote monitoring of work sites and tracking actual progress against project timelines, thus enhancing performance efficiency and ensuring timely delivery, bringing real added value to clients.

Shehata stressed that network security remains a top priority across all company projects, especially with the growing integration of artificial intelligence tools. He underscored the company’s commitment to balancing the deployment of advanced technologies with maintaining the safety and stability of power grids, which is key to successful and sustainable project delivery.

WAM