Largest World Future Energy Summit opens in Abu Dhabi today
- Last updated: January 13, 2026 | 09:03 ..
Gulf Today, Staff Reporter
The 18th World Future Energy Summit opens on January 13 at the ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi, marking the largest and most ambitious chapter yet in one of the world’s most influential clean energy and sustainability gatherings.
Taking place as part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week and hosted by Masdar, the Summit convenes global leaders at a pivotal moment for energy transformation, combining expanded conferences, next-generation technology showcases, and new engagement formats designed to accelerate real-world impact.
More than 50,000 pre-registered attendees from 150-plus countries will converge on the UAE capital for the Summit, which features more than 450 exhibiting companies and around 400 expert speakers representing government, industry, finance, academia, and civil society. International collaboration is reinforced through country pavilions, high-level forums including the EU Hydrogen Council’s Summit, and partnerships with organisations such as Greenpeace MENA and IRENA, all designed to translate climate ambition into measurable outcomes.
“This year’s Summit has been deliberately designed to extend far beyond the three days of the event,” said Gareth Rapley, Portfolio Director - Energy and Marine at RX Global. “Through expanded conference programmes, new engagement platforms, and year-round business generation initiatives, we are building a connected ecosystem that helps ideas move faster from discussion to deployment. Our focus is on ensuring partnerships formed here translate into long-term collaboration, investment, and measurable progress across global energy transition.”
The World Future Energy Summit 2026 is the 18th edition of the Middle East’s foremost platform for clean energy innovation and sustainability dialogue. Powered by innovation, ideas, and deployable solutions, it will run until January 15 and arrives at a critical juncture for global energy transition.
Regionally, momentum continues to build, with the UAE pledging US$54 billion in renewable energy investment by the end of the decade, mobilising $83 billion of climate-related clean technology funding at COP28 and a further US$30 billion through the Alterra Fund.
Saudi Arabia has earmarked US$270 billion to scale its renewable ambitions while committing almost US$200 billion to climate action through the expanded Saudi Green Initiative.
Spanning the full clean energy value chain, the exhibition showcases breakthrough technologies and scalable solutions across solar and renewable energy, hydrogen and clean fuels, water and wastewater technologies, circular economy and waste-to-energy, smart cities and eMobility, green finance, and the rapidly expanding worlds of digital energy, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity. From next-gen photovoltaic systems and energy storage to intelligent grids, sustainable fuels, and smart infrastructure, ADNEC’s exhibition halls will provide a comprehensive snapshot of how innovation is reshaping the global energy system.
FUSE AI
A major event highlight is the launch of FUSE AI, a dedicated innovation zone and conference exploring how artificial intelligence is transforming energy systems, infrastructure resilience, and climate solutions.
The platform will demo AI-driven applications for grid optimisation, predictive analytics, system efficiency, and smarter resource management.
Also debuting this year is The Greenhouse, a startup-focused platform connecting more than 50 early-stage companies with investors, policymakers, and industry partners. The Greenhouse will spotlight emerging solutions across clean technology, climate tech, mobility, and water, reinforcing the Summit’s role as a catalyst for commercialisation and cross-sector collaboration.
Dennis Jol, CEO of AIQ, said: “We look forward to an engaging inaugural FUSE AI event at World Future Energy Summit. The introduction of this platform is timely as it reflects the increasing importance of artificial intelligence in energy and sustainability, and provides a focused forum to examine how this transformational technology is building more resilient, progressive societies.”
Complementing these innovation-led platforms is the introduction of the Greenpeace Cinema, a new immersive storytelling space on the exhibition floor that broadens how sustainability challenges are explored and communicated. Designed as a silent cinema experience, the venue places powerful environmental narratives alongside policy debate, technology showcases, and investment dialogue.
As part of a joint initiative between World Future Energy Summit and IMI, the Greenpeace Cinema will host daily screenings of the award-winning documentary Ocean with David Attenborough throughout the three days of the event. Produced by Silverback Films, the documentary offers a cinematic exploration of humanity’s relationship with the ocean, highlighting both the urgency of marine degradation and the ocean’s remarkable capacity for recovery when given the chance.
On the Summit’s opening day, delegates can also attend a live post-screening Q&A with acclaimed documentary director Keith Scholey, providing insight into the role of long-form storytelling in shaping public understanding of environmental issues.
The exhibition and engagement platforms are complemented by an expanded, multi-track conference programme featuring more than seven dedicated streams, including the new Artificial Intelligence Conference, which examines the responsible adoption of AI across energy, infrastructure, and smart cities, as well as the International Renewable Energy Agency’s flagship Innovation Day Conference, which will focus on the sectors most critical to closing the remaining energy transition gap, particularly in heavy industry.
As Efficiency Partner for World Future Energy Summit 2026, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) will highlight its pioneering work in large-scale energy storage and clean power integration, underscoring the strategic importance of advanced storage solutions in enabling a reliable and resilient clean energy transition.
Energy storage
Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, DEWA’s Managing Director and CEO, said: “We are advancing energy storage as a strategic imperative for the clean energy transition. The increasing integration of renewable energy sources, especially photovoltaic solar panels that are inherently intermittent in nature, is heightening demand for efficient storage solutions. Advances in battery technology, pumped-storage hydroelectricity and other grid-scale storage systems are critical to enabling this transition. We will showcase our pioneering storage projects, including the fourth phase of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which features the world’s tallest solar tower and the largest thermal energy storage capacity of its kind, enabling round-the-clock solar power generation and also highlight the seventh phase of the Solar Park, currently at tender stage, which will combine 2,000MW of photovoltaic capacity with 1,400MW of battery storage with a six-hour duration, alongside the 250MW/1,500MWh Hatta pumped-storage hydroelectric plant and our solar-powered green hydrogen production and storage initiative.”
By bringing the world to Abu Dhabi, World Future Energy Summit 2026 will be a defining platform for leadership, innovation, and action, shaping the technologies, policies, and partnerships needed to power a more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable future.
World Future Energy Summit 2026 runs until January 15 at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi.