ADIPEC Leaders Urge Investment In Global Energy Networks Arabian Post

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Arabian Post Staff -Dubai

Energy executives and ministers at ADIPEC 2026 called for greater investment in electricity grids, storage and supply chains on Tuesday as artificial intelligence and industrial electrification add pressure to global power systems.

The second day of the Abu Dhabi conference concentrated on the infrastructure required to deliver growing volumes of energy reliably, with speakers warning that expanding generation alone would not resolve bottlenecks in transmission, logistics and industrial capacity. Discussions also examined how geopolitical uncertainty could disrupt equipment supplies and the movement of energy across borders.

Egypt's Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Karim Badawi, urged governments and businesses to coordinate investment rather than pursue energy security entirely through national strategies.“No single country or company can do this alone,” he told a ministerial discussion examining how domestic energy priorities could support a more connected international system.

The debate reflected mounting pressure on electricity networks as data centres expand alongside manufacturing, transport electrification and urban development. Participants identified the timing of infrastructure construction as a particular concern because demand from computing facilities can increase faster than the networks and generating assets needed to serve them.

Caspar Herzberg, chief executive of industrial software company AVEVA, said artificial intelligence infrastructure was being deployed rapidly while other resources and supporting facilities were developing more slowly. He described the mismatch primarily as a coordination challenge rather than simply a question of construction speed.

The conference's session on AI-driven energy demand examined the implications for planning new capacity, locating data centres and integrating their electricity requirements with existing networks. Its programme cited an International Energy Agency estimate that global data-centre electricity demand grew by approximately 17 per cent in 2025, adding around 70 terawatt-hours of consumption.

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Olivier Blum, chief executive of Schneider Electric, said additional electricity generation would be necessary as industries electrified, cities expanded and electric vehicles became more widespread. He also emphasised the need to improve efficiency, describing digital systems and artificial intelligence as tools for matching electricity supply more closely with consumption and improving the performance of existing assets.

“We need to produce more energy while also consuming it more efficiently,” Blum said during a discussion of how operators could extract greater value from each unit of electricity. The session considered the role of sustained investment in digital technology rather than relying exclusively on new physical capacity.

Christian Bruch, president and chief executive of Siemens Energy, focused on the exposure of infrastructure projects to interruptions in global logistics. He said operators needed to assess which components could be manufactured locally, which international supply chains remained dependable and how much strategic storage was required to withstand disruptions.

His remarks pointed to the practical challenges of building resilient energy systems when essential equipment, materials and specialist capabilities are distributed across multiple countries. Infrastructure planning, speakers argued, must account for delivery risks as well as the eventual capacity of completed projects.

Supply security was also addressed by Lorenzo Simonelli, chairman and chief executive of Baker Hughes, who advocated multiple sources of equipment and logistical support. Companies should examine vulnerabilities throughout their operations and avoid dependence on individual transport routes or suppliers, he said during a panel on managing disruption and supporting growth.

Simonelli said businesses needed secondary and additional supply options so they could respond when established channels became unavailable. The discussion placed operational flexibility alongside investment and technological development as factors influencing the reliability of energy delivery.

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The conference brought together government representatives, energy producers, technology companies and equipment manufacturers to examine how infrastructure investment could be coordinated across the sector. Ministerial exchanges covered cooperation between national energy strategies, while executive sessions explored the relationship between financing, project execution and supply continuity.

Exhibitors presented equipment and services spanning energy infrastructure, digitalisation, lower-carbon technologies, maritime operations and logistics. The event featured 30 country pavilions showcasing industrial capabilities and investment opportunities, alongside four specialised exhibition zones devoted to different segments of the energy business.

The specialised zones covered artificial intelligence, digitalisation, maritime and logistics, and low-carbon technologies and chemicals, reflecting the range of systems involved in producing, transporting and managing energy.

Separate strategic leadership roundtables at the Global Energy Club brought ministers and senior executives together for closed-door discussions covering infrastructure delivery, capital mobilisation and the maintenance of energy supplies. ADIPEC 2026 runs from 2 to 5 November at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi.

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