Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2023: World Future Energy Summit opens on Jan 16

The World Future Energy Summit began a three-day run at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), with global energy and sustainable stakeholders gathering in the UAE’s capital to share insights to progress the global and regional adoption of the circular economy and clean energy.

The World Future Energy Summit is hosted by Masdar and is part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.

The summit reflects key sustainability sectors through six exhibitions and five dedicated forums individually addressing today’s vital energy challenges and multi-sectoral impacts.

The vertically segmented expos and forums focus on energy, water, ecowaste, solar, smart cities, climate, and the environment.

New to the Summit is the Hydrogen Innovation Hub, which will be running alongside the Energy Expo & Forum. It will explore current and future solutions enabling green hydrogen to play a critical role in energy transition.

“This summit more than any other can deliver a seismic shift in global, regional and local energy operations, policies, plans, investments and overall economic direction,” said Leen Alsebai, head of World Future Energy Summit, and GM of Summit organiser RX Middle East. “It comes at a time of a  worldwide rethink on energy sources, supply resilience and the future-proofing of resources against a backdrop of a mounting clamour for the industry to transform and be at the forefront of tangible action against climate change.”

Highlights of the World Future Energy Summit

The EcoWaste Exhibition & Forum, hosted by Abu Dhabi Waste Management Center – Tadweer, will explore the GCC’s approach to sustainable waste management, and solutions to help address the Middle East and Africa’s waste crisis, which the World Bank estimates will double to 255 million tonnes a year by 2050.

“There is a growing realisation of the urgency of the dilemma with the GCC currently generating between 105 and 130 million tons of waste a year, primarily from municipal solid waste, construction and demolition, and agriculture,” said Alsebai. “The latest industry forecasts suggest $60-85bn needs to be invested across plastic, concrete, cement, metal, and bio-waste value streams over the coming two decades to realise GCC waste management and landfill diversion targets.”

The forum will host prominent keynotes, case studies and panel discussions focused around technology for waste management, landfill diversion strategies, waste-to-energy studies, the end of single-use plastics and improved waste management techniques.

It will also feature the UAE & GCC Waste Management Forum – a high-level GCC municipality discussion on ways to further the region’s sustainable waste management practices.

New additions to the summit

The Green Hydrogen Innovation Hub will demo solutions to accelerate green hydrogen adoption in the regional and global energy transition. It will address green hydrogen’s potential and innovation across the full value chain, including electrolysis and conversion technologies, transport solutions, zero-emissions mobility, decarbonisation of industrial production processes and of buildings’ power consumption, large-scale storage, carbon capture, utilisation and storage, waste to hydrogen and hydrogen to ammonia conversion technologies.

The summit’s knowledge-sharing programme is the most extensive to date delivering in excess of 200 hours of expert and informed content across specialised forums and subjects. A highlight is the new one-day ENOWA ENACT conference on January 17 from the energy, water, and hydrogen subsidiary of the new Saudi smart city NEOM.

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