Sustainable energy is the need of the hour, and the transition towards it needs to be just and accessible to all. However, this is not as easy as it sounds. On one hand, the energy industry is embracing technology such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and IIoT. But on the other hand, it is working hard to find ways to enhance efficiency in renewable energy demand forecasting and asset optimization, as well as clean energy financing.
Christopher Hudson, president of dmg events, discusses with Economy Middle East how these pressing issues will be debated at ADIPEC 2024, taking place in Abu Dhabi from November 4 to 7.
Hudson also elaborated on the role of ADIPEC in addressing the energy access and finance gaps between the Global North and South.
Edited excerpts from an interview:
What is new at ADIPEC 2024?
For four decades, ADIPEC has continually evolved to meet the changing needs of the global energy industry, and this year is no exception. While last year ADIPEC brought the energy industry together to demonstrate its commitment to decarbonization, this year we are taking that focus forward by addressing the defining challenge of our time: enabling a future that delivers secure, equitable, and sustainable energy for all.
As part of ADIPEC’s mission to facilitate impact and action for the energy transition, our upcoming edition has a special focus on exploring the transformative power of artificial intelligence (AI). Over the past few years, AI has demonstrated its potential to drive innovation, foster equitable growth, and contribute to the development of novel technologies that empower lives. Reflecting this, ADIPEC 2024 will feature its inaugural EnergyAI by ADNOC exhibition area.
With AWS and Baker Hughes as its strategic partners, EnergyAI will highlight AI technologies from across the energy value chain, enabling delegates to explore the nexus between these two pivotal sectors. The area will include an EnergyAI Theatre, Creative AI Lab, Reskilling Lab, a networking hub, exhibition and demo stations, and an immersive AI showcase. It will also host the inaugural EnergyAI Conference, gathering global leaders from energy, technology, and government sectors to develop a strategic roadmap for AI into the energy landscape.
Another topic we are emphasizing this year is inclusivity. For the global energy transition to be secure and sustainable, the voices and ideas of people worldwide, especially the Global South, must be part of the conversation. That is why ADIPEC 2024 commits to ensuring that more sectors and communities engage in global energy transformation discussions. With new Voices of Tomorrow and Finance & Investment Conferences, alongside our other broad-ranging conferences, we provide inclusive platforms to facilitate dialogue, channel funding, inspire innovation, and forge strategic partnerships across borders and industries.
What are some of the innovations in the energy sector that we can anticipate seeing at ADIPEC? How soon before these innovations will become widespread and start making a significant impact?
The adoption of digital technologies is accelerating across the energy value chain, from AI and machine learning (ML) to the Internet of Things (IoT), Industrial IoT (IIoT), digital twins, blockchain, and more. Many of these innovations are already having a significant impact, and their influence will only grow in the months and years ahead.
Reflecting this trend, many of ADIPEC’s 2,220+ exhibitors will showcase real-world applications of these innovations. This will include AI chatbots guiding reservoir engineers through simulations, AI-powered control room platforms managing plant monitoring, IIoT systems overseeing remote operations, advanced predictive maintenance capabilities, and increasingly sophisticated data-driven decision-making. This year we have also produced an ‘AI & Digitalisation Guide’ to help visitors explore the transformative technologies on display at ADIPEC 2024, enabling them to plan their exhibition hall visits effectively.
By showcasing technological breakthroughs and innovative technology applications, ADIPEC 2024 will enable organizations to improve responsiveness, drive efficiencies, and reduce costs across both the public and private sectors, contributing to a safer and more sustainable energy industry.
What kind of impact do you expect the newer conferences such as Voices of Tomorrow, Finance and Investment, and Digitalization and Technology to make?
The global energy industry has made great strides in harnessing innovation, and it is important to recognize and celebrate that progress. However, to achieve a lower-carbon, higher-growth future of energy, we must continue to build on this momentum. Each of the new conferences at ADIPEC this year has been designed to address specific challenges and unlock new opportunities.
For example, greater efficiency in renewable energy demand forecasting, leak detection, asset optimization, and other key activities will be crucial to advancing the energy transition. The Digitalisation & Technology Conference at ADIPEC 2024 will highlight progress in these areas, inspiring collaborative action to fully harness the potential of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies.
Clean energy financing is another challenge we face. The global energy transition will require an estimated $35 trillion in investment by 2030. The Finance & Investment Conference at ADIPEC 2024 provides a platform for governments, financiers, and energy providers to collaborate, facilitating discussions that can help unlock opportunities and accelerate progress toward a lower-carbon, higher-growth world.
Meanwhile, the Voices of Tomorrow Conference will address the geographical, cultural, and economic divides between the Global North and South. It is crucial that the energy transition is truly global, and this conference will foster a collaborative environment that prioritizes equity, diversity, and inclusion. Additionally, its focus on platforming youth will ensure the concerns and ideas of young people are part of the energy transition discussions while helping to inspire the next generation of energy leaders.
How do large-scale events such as ADIPEC, which bring together global energy companies, contribute to a just and viable transition to widespread sustainable energy production and use?
The scale and complexity of the energy transition is immense. However, this challenge is surmountable — provided we work collaboratively and strategically. ADIPEC plays a crucial role in facilitating this by shining a spotlight on the progress being made in the industry, advancing solutions to ongoing challenges, and helping chart the path forward.
ADIPEC provides a forum where the world’s largest energy producers and consumers meet with key stakeholders from government, technology, and finance to accelerate innovation, engage in impactful dialogue, and forge partnerships that will help drive the global energy transition. At the same time, it facilitates high-level discussions on critical topics, empowering experts to share strategies and showcase tangible solutions that can transform the energy industry.
Events like ADIPEC also encourage cross-sector dialogue and partnerships, bringing together innovators, engineers, technical experts, policymakers, and future leaders to discuss solutions that will advance both decarbonization and the development of sustainable infrastructure. By connecting stakeholders from around the globe, ADIPEC helps broaden understanding of the unique energy challenges and opportunities different regions face, ensuring that the solutions presented at the event have real, global impact.
How are global energy companies ensuring that countries that heavily depend on energy imports and don’t have enough resources and infrastructure for a transition are not caught between a rock and a hard place during this transition?
Addressing the energy access and finance gaps between the Global North and South is a central focus of ADIPEC 2024. This reflects in our platforming of government leaders from both developed and developing nations, particularly in our Strategic Conference ministerial panels.
The Voices of Tomorrow Conference will also explore topics aligned with the UAE Consensus, which aims to ensure an equitable energy transition. ADIPEC’s goal is to ensure the needs of energy-scarce and under-developed nations are understood while unlocking the collaboration, finance, and investment required to support a global energy transformation that benefits all.
How would you measure the progress of the UAE Consensus from the time it was announced until date, and how do conferences such as ADIPEC ensure these pledges also yield results?
The UAE Consensus, agreed at COP28 in 2023, acknowledges the need for a just, orderly, and equitable transition away from fossil fuels to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Although only a year has passed, the global energy industry has already made significant progress towards this goal, and I am confident that this momentum will continue.
ADIPEC provides an inclusive platform where stakeholders can address the global energy industry’s most urgent challenges. By fostering innovation, collaboration, and investment, ADIPEC facilitates progress towards pledges like the UAE Consensus. It ensures that these goals translate into action. We select our session topics and speakers for their relevance to both current and future challenges, and the solutions showcased at ADIPEC have the potential to transform the industry.
We have been hearing about hydrogen, solar and nuclear energy investments for years. Are countries investing enough in these alternative energy sources to transition away from traditional fossil fuels?
Clean energy continues to attract significant global investment, with renewable power, grids, and storage investments surpassing those in oil, gas, and coal since 2020. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), nuclear power investments are likely to rebound in 2024, reaching $80 billion.
However, with these new energy sources also come challenges, such as the need for scalable infrastructure, seamless technological integration, and ensuring energy security throughout the transition. From my experience at dmg events, I have observed a growing interest in clean hydrogen, particularly for its potential to decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors like heavy industry and long-haul transport.
Hydrogen could contribute up to 10 percent of the mitigation required to meet the 1.5°C target and account for 12 percent of final energy demand. The increasing global investment in hydrogen, especially in the Middle East and North Africa, underscores the vast untapped potential of this energy molecule.
That’s why ADIPEC 2024’s Hydrogen Conference will prioritize critical discussions among industry executives, technical experts, and policymakers. The aim is to move hydrogen adoption from concept to widespread implementation. The conference will provide a comprehensive view of the global hydrogen outlook, addressing the technological and scalability challenges that must be overcome for hydrogen to play a pivotal role in the future energy mix.
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