Beyond Supply: Energy Leaders Face the Crucial Challenge of Delivery Infrastructure and Investment

As global populations expand and economies grow, fueled by emerging demands from artificial intelligence (AI), data centers, and industrial development, the energy sector's primary concern has shifted from mere supply to the critical question of delivery. Energy leaders are now grappling with whether the necessary infrastructure, investment, and talent can keep pace with escalating needs. This challenge has been amplified by a year marked by supply disruptions and heightened geopolitical uncertainty.

HE Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and ADNOC Managing Director and Group CEO, emphasized this point at the opening of ADIPEC 2026. He highlighted the rapid shifts in market conditions, noting that nearly a billion barrels of crude oil were depleted from global inventories following disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. "In a crisis, the speed of insight and the speed of decision-making is the difference between continuity and disruption," he stated. Dr. Al Jaber argued that the solution lies not only in increasing energy production but also in developing smarter, more resilient systems capable of adapting to evolving circumstances. The industry's focus is increasingly moving from supply alone to execution, encompassing AI, advanced infrastructure, workforce development, and industrial partnerships.

This evolving landscape sets the stage for ADIPEC 2026, an event that has convened key players in the global energy sector for over four decades. This year, an anticipated 239,000 participants will gather in Abu Dhabi to address a singular question: how can the world develop, finance, and deliver the energy capacity required for the coming decades?

ADIPEC's 11 strategic conferences are designed to meet this challenge head-on, addressing the urgent need to bolster energy security amidst supply disruptions and rising demand. A new addition this year is the Grids, Infrastructure & Industrial Execution program, which examines why the ability to build, connect, and protect infrastructure is becoming as strategically vital as the energy it carries. Equally important is preparing the workforce for a digital-first energy sector. The new Workforce & Skills conference will explore how talent and leadership are critical determinants of project delivery, industrial competitiveness, and long-term energy growth, building upon the success of the longstanding youth engagement initiative, Young ADIPEC.

Furthermore, ADIPEC’s Finance & Investment conference will focus on strategies for attracting capital and financing the infrastructure needed to support future demand. The AI, Digital & Technology program will delve into how AI and digital tools are transforming energy production, management, and delivery. Other conferences will address energy security and resilience, policy, regulation and governance, upstream performance and efficiency, and clean power, molecules, and carbon management.

The world requires more energy, and the infrastructure to produce and deliver it must evolve in tandem. Global energy demand saw a 1.3% increase in 2025, with electricity requirements growing by 3%, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). These needs are projected to intensify due to rising demand from mobility, heating, cooling, and industry, compounded by a growing global population expected to reach 9.6 billion by 2050. Emerging economies are anticipated to drive a significant portion of this increase, potentially consuming 25% more energy. Industry currently accounts for 37% of global energy consumption, with AI and digital infrastructure adding to this demand; data centers, for instance, are projected to double their electricity consumption by 2030.

In response, the sector is investing to diversify production and expand supplies. Christopher Hudson, President of dmg events, organizers of ADIPEC, stated, "The question is no longer whether the world needs more energy. It is whether we can develop, finance and deliver it fast enough." He emphasized the need for investment, innovation, and partnerships at an extraordinary scale, acknowledging the roles of oil, natural gas, renewables, nuclear, and emerging lower-carbon technologies. The focus is on expanding supply, strengthening infrastructure, improving efficiency, and reducing emissions while maintaining affordability and accessibility.

Oil and gas remain integral to the energy mix, supporting transport, manufacturing, chemicals, and electricity generation. Natural gas usage is expanding, with export capacity expected to grow by 50% by 2030. Renewable energy has seen the most significant growth, now supplying over a third of global electricity, with the IEA predicting a doubling of installed renewable power capacity by 2030, primarily driven by solar and wind. Emerging fuels like hydrogen, ammonia, and methanol are also gaining traction due to recent energy disruptions, though supporting infrastructure and customer bases are still developing.

As the energy mix diversifies, it attracts new capital, though investor caution persists. Global energy investment is projected to reach a record $3.4 trillion by the end of the year, with approximately $2.2 trillion directed towards clean energy, grids, storage, and electrification, and $1.2 trillion allocated to oil, gas, and coal. Investors are prioritizing long-term demand and project resilience against market and geopolitical uncertainties. Regulatory frameworks are crucial, with significant oil and gas discoveries awaiting development approval, contingent on clear policy frameworks and robust midstream and downstream infrastructure.

Projects are increasingly recognized as interconnected. ADNOC's recent Dh60 billion investment in the UAE's manufacturing sector exemplifies how energy stability fosters broader economic opportunities. Powering daily needs relies on an intricate network spanning drilling equipment, catalysts, automation technology, and transport. New technologies supporting energy stability and the transition to cleaner energy highlight this interconnectedness. For example, hydrogen production requires affordable electricity, water, safe storage and transport, and end-users. Developing these elements in isolation increases costs and hinders investment. Similarly, conventional oil and gas developments depend on pipelines, processing facilities, shipping, refining, and established customers, while electricity generation relies on grids, storage, and demand centers. Integrating energy projects with the wider economy supports industrial growth and facilitates the market entry of new technologies.

ADNOC's In-Country Value program has supported the development of 95 factories and created over 27,500 job opportunities for Emiratis in participating private-sector companies by the end of 2025. The new announcement aims to cover over 200 essential products and critical spare parts through 2030. As Dr. Al Jaber noted, "We want our partners to grow with us, and we want that growth to create lasting value for the UAE."

Energy systems are becoming more complex and operate under more challenging conditions, with diverse power sources, weather-dependent generation, fluctuating demand, and aging assets. To manage these complexities, energy companies are increasingly adopting digital technologies for more efficient operations. McKinsey estimates that AI could unlock $230 billion for oil and gas and oilfield services companies alone. In the power and utilities sector, Gartner predicts that 40% will deploy AI-driven control room operators by 2027 to reduce human error. Digital technologies serve as an intelligence layer, enabling AI-driven seismic interpretation, automated drilling, sensor-based extraction monitoring, and machine learning for improved reliability. At the electricity end, digital tools modernize grids, and drone and satellite imagery analysis helps identify operational risks. Markets like the UAE are leading with industrial and agentic AI platforms for optimizing energy production and grid management. AIQ's ENERGYai system, for instance, reportedly achieved a 90-day trial improvement of 70% in accuracy for major seismic interpretation aspects at ADNOC.

While technology aids in building a smarter energy sector, human expertise remains indispensable for managing operations and making critical decisions. The energy sector employed 76 million people last year, a 2.2% annual increase, yet technical roles like electricians, pipefitters, power-line workers, and engineers are facing shortages. This is partly due to an aging workforce approaching retirement, with projections indicating that two out of every three new hires by 2035 will be needed to fill replacement positions. Industrial transformation is also shifting demand towards digital domains such as data, automation, AI, and cybersecurity, as well as expertise in renewable energy. Renewables alone are expected to require an additional 1.1 million workers for construction and 1.7 million for operation. The workforce challenge involves attracting new talent and upskilling existing staff to work with advanced technologies, as shortages pose a barrier to developing new capacity.

The future of the world's energy will be shaped by the collective ability of governments, investors, and industry to deliver the necessary infrastructure, investment, and talent to meet growing demand. As energy systems become larger, more connected, and complex, execution is emerging as the defining challenge. ADIPEC serves as a crucial forum for bringing together those responsible for solving this challenge, acting not just as a showcase but as a catalyst for making the energy future a reality. The industry's next frontier is no longer identifying opportunities but delivering on them. ADIPEC, the world's largest energy conference and exhibition, hosted by ADNOC and organized by dmg events, will take place from November 2-5 at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi.