UAE energy minister tells ADIPEC more resilience, spare capacity and AI are needed

The UAE's Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, said on the opening day of ADIPEC 2026 in Abu Dhabi that the country needs more protection and spare capacity, and that AI will be central to getting there, according to highlights published by the organisers.

“We need to build additional layers of protection to ensure we have enough resilience and spare capacity,” he said, according to the organisers' opening day highlights. He added: “All of this will require technology, and we will need AI to design better and become more resilient.”

The organisers said the opening day brought together global energy leaders, policymakers and technology innovators to explore how the industry can meet growing energy demand, strengthen resilience and accelerate innovation.

In the Strategic Conference, the organisers said, industry leaders examined the investments, infrastructure and technologies needed to build more resilient energy systems. The exhibition welcomed 2,260+ exhibiting companies, they said, with innovations shown across the AI Zone, Digitalisation Zone, Maritime & Logistics Zone and Low Carbon & Chemicals Zone.

Background: what the minister said elsewhere

The same remarks appeared in an ADIPEC organiser press release distributed by PR Newswire on 2 November. It said Al Mazrouei was speaking about the UAE's strategy for further improving the resilience of its energy sector.

Khaleej Times reported on 2 November that the minister said the UAE will review the design of its energy infrastructure, build additional layers of protection and increase spare capacity following the recent conflict. According to the newspaper, he said that even if the situation returns to normal, the country cannot afford to return to business as usual on the design and protection of critical infrastructure.

Khaleej Times also quoted him as saying: “If you are not prepared, you will pay 10 times.” The newspaper said he was stressing that the cost of readiness had to be weighed against potential losses when critical infrastructure is disrupted.

Energy Connects, which is run by ADIPEC organiser dmg events, quoted him on 2 November telling the Exchange Theatre: “Spare capacity is part of resiliency, and having optionality is part of being resilient.” It also quoted him saying: “Those two things the UAE has worked on years before this war started, and it helped us.”

Background: pipelines and AI

In an interview published by Energy Connects on 21 October, Al Mazrouei described the Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline between Habshan and Fujairah as a clear example of resilience. Energy Connects quoted him saying the line began operating in 2012 and has a capacity of approximately 1.8 million barrels per day. He said it provides a direct export route that allows the UAE to maintain crude flows when traditional routes are disrupted.

In the same interview, he said the UAE is fast-tracking an expansion aimed at increasing capacity to 5 mbpd by 2027, according to Energy Connects.

On AI, Energy Connects quoted him as saying it is “no longer an emerging experiment in the UAE; it is a core operational asset across our entire energy ecosystem.” He cited national initiatives such as ENERGYai and specialised industrial AI platforms, and said advanced algorithms are being used to model supply and demand in real time, automate complex subsurface workflows and reduce field downtime through predictive maintenance.

Background: production capacity

The National reported on 15 October that Adnoc has increased its oil production capacity by almost 75 per cent over the past decade to 4.85 million barrels per day and is targeting five million bpd by 2027. It said Adnoc approved a Dh551 billion ($150 billion) spending plan for 2026 to 2030 to maintain operations and expand production capacity.

The Stratawire did not attend the ADIPEC sessions. The account of the opening day above is based on material from the organisers, and background material is attributed to the publishers named.