Abu Dhabi:Day 2 of ADIPEC 2026 highlighted the critical importance of infrastructure in meeting future global energy demands, as ministers, CEOs, and industry leaders convened to discuss strategies for building and modernizing the networks essential for energy delivery.
According to Wam, the discussions emphasized the need for increased investment in physical systems such as grids, transmission networks, and supply chains. These conversations focused on accelerating project delivery, enhancing system resilience, and ensuring energy networks can effectively respond to rising demand and geopolitical challenges.
Ministerial dialogues and executive panels explored infrastructure requirements for a more interconnected energy future, stressing that meeting energy demand will require resilient networks and diversified supply chains. The ministerial panel, 'Beyond borders can national energy strategies deliver a connected global system?', underscored the necessity of international coordination across the energy value chain.
Karim Badawi, Egypt's Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, emphasized collaboration as key to unlocking energy opportunities, noting that no single entity can manage the task alone. Dr. Christian Bruch of Siemens Energy AG highlighted the need for understanding local manufacturing capabilities and strategic storage to build resilient infrastructure, especially in light of global logistics disruptions.
Olivier Blum of Schneider Electric discussed the role of digital technologies and AI in improving system performance and optimizing energy use, while Caspar Herzberg of AVEVA pointed out the rapid deployment of AI infrastructure and the coordination challenges it presents.
Throughout the day, energy resilience was a central theme, with executives discussing how to build agility and optionality into their strategies to navigate disruptions. Lorenzo Simonelli of Baker Hughes stressed the importance of examining vulnerabilities across supply chains to avoid reliance on single choke points.
The event showcased the diverse capabilities needed to meet evolving energy needs, with companies displaying innovations in infrastructure, digitalization, and lower-carbon technologies. Day 3 will shift focus to the technologies transforming energy systems, including AI and automation, to enhance infrastructure intelligence and efficiency.