UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan recently received Chris Wright, U.S. Secretary of Energy, who is visiting the UAE as part of a tour of the Middle East.
During the meeting, which took place at Qasr Al Shati in Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed and Wright discussed the strategic relations between the UAE and the U.S., with a focus on energy cooperation, joint investments in advanced technology and artificial intelligence, and sustainable economic growth. The talks also explored opportunities to foster investment in the energy sector.
Sheikh Mohamed reaffirmed the UAE’s commitment to deepening its longstanding and constructive partnership with the U.S., built on effective collaboration to advance shared progress and development. He also underscored the UAE’s commitment to contributing to global energy security in support of the world economy and for the benefit of all.
Wright meets UAE energy leaders at ADNOC HQ
During his visit, Wright also met with UAE energy, technology and investment leaders at ADNOC HQ to reinforce the growing ties between both nations, deepen collaboration and explore new partnership opportunities.
Secretary Wright was briefed on XRG, ADNOC’s new transformational international investment company, which is actively exploring significant investments in the U.S. XRG is investing in projects across the energy value chain – from gas and infrastructure to chemicals and low-carbon solutions.
“It is an honor for the UAE to host Secretary Chris Wright on his first international visit since assuming office, which follows the successful UAE delegation visit to Washington D.C in March led by Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi and National Security Adviser H.H. Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan,” stated Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Managing Director and Group CEO of ADNOC, Chairman of Masdar and Executive Chairman of XRG
“In a dynamic global energy market, the UAE and U.S. share a common goal of driving energy abundance, unlocking the power of AI to enhance cost-competitiveness, while deepening partnerships on cutting-edge technologies and creating new opportunities through a pro-growth, pro-investment, pro-energy and pro-people approach,” he added.
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Future Energy Leaders Majlis
Following the meeting with the UAE’s AI and energy leaders, Wright toured ADNOC’s world-class AI center, where he saw how the company is integrating AI from the control room to the boardroom to enhance safety, maximize value and reduce emissions to support ADNOC’s mission to become the world’s most AI-enabled energy company, in order to maintain cost competitiveness in a rapidly evolving market.
As part of the visit, Dr. Sultan Al Jaber and Secretary Wright co-hosted the Future Energy Leaders Majlis, establishing dialogue with young engineers, scientists, technicians, technologists and analysts. Young Americans and Emiratis from ADNOC, ENEC, Masdar and XRG, together with representatives from the U.S. Department of Energy and the UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, came together to discuss how they can seize a pivotal moment in history, where the world increasingly views energy as a driver of global progress and prosperity.
Wright expressed his admiration for the UAE’s early adoption of AI in its energy sector. “I think the UAE has been an early mover in AI. I saw incredible progress today in applying AI to their own energy system, and a big vision for where their future is going,” Wright told reporters. He predicted significant cooperation between the two nations in both energy and AI, involving significant investments in both directions, along with continued geopolitical cooperation between the two countries.
