More than 35,000 agreements signed in Abu Dhabi further global energy transition and assure future security, with event generating $400 million for emirate’s economy

Global energy leaders signed deals worth Dh168.9 billion ($46 billion) at Adipec 2025, marking record 35,000 cross-border agreements in clean hydrogen, drilling and grid-tech, as the world looks to meet growing power demands sustainably and affordably.

The event, which closed on Thursday, drew 218,329 attendees, reinforcing its role as a convening ground for policy, technology and finance. It generated an estimated $400 million in value for Abu Dhabi’s economy, particularly across the tourism, transport and hospitality sectors.

Abdulmunim Al Kindy, chairman of Adipec 2025, said: “Adipec continues to provide a global platform that brings the entire energy ecosystem together to advance practical, data-driven solutions that harness energy to deliver jobs, growth, competitiveness and intelligence. This year’s record participation and partnerships reinforce Adipec’s key role in shaping a more secure energy future.”

The previous three Adipec events generated business deals and economic returns exceeding Dh99.2 billion ($27 billion) across various energy segments, underscoring its positive impact in driving growth and strengthening collaboration within the global energy ecosystem.

Boosting the UAE’s economy

This year, Adnoc leveraged Adipec 2025 to announce multiple agreements to support the UAE economy and strengthen the global energy ecosystem, including through the use of artificial intelligence. “We are channelling demand from our procurement opportunities to boost the local economy, strengthen the resilience of our supply chain and ensure that products once imported are now made in the UAE,” Omar Abdulla Alnuiami, Adnoc acting director of the group commercial and in-country value directorate, said at the company's Business Partnership Forum, held concurrently with Adipec.
The deals announced at Adipec include Dh2.6 billion in framework agreements with Emerson, Yokogawa, ABB, Schneider Electric and Honeywell for UAE-made control, safety, automation and monitoring systems. These long-term contracts will support Adnoc’s digitalisation efforts and enhance operational reliability, localise advanced technologies and develop local talent, the energy major said.

In addition, Adnoc announced 12 new local manufacturing facilities and final investment decisions by UAE and international companies under its ICV programme. The projects will take shape across key industrial zones in Abu Dhabi, Al Ruwais, Al Ain, Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah.

Growing the international energy ecosystem

As the world’s largest energy event, Adipec has also become a platform for international energy partnerships.

Clean-energy company Masdar furthered momentum for renewables with the announcement of a 49 per cent stake in oil and gas major OMV’s 140-MW electrolysis green hydrogen project at Bruck an der Leitha in Austria.

Valued in the high hundreds of millions, according to Reuters, the plant expands UAE investments into Europe’s clean energy sector. Due online in late 2027, it will produce around 23,000 tonnes of green hydrogen a year, making it one of Europe’s five largest.

On Monday, Malaysian state energy firm Petronas and Italy’s Eni announced a binding agreement to form a joint venture combining their upstream oil and gas assets in Indonesia and Malaysia. The new company, NewCo, is to operate as a financially self-sufficient entity, with plans to invest in excess of Dh55 billion over the next five years to develop approximately three billion barrels of oil equivalent (boe) of discovered reserves and explore a further 10 billion boe. NewCo will manage 19 assets, 14 in Indonesia and five in Malaysia. 

Eni chief executive Claudio Descalzi said the agreement was a transformational moment for Eni, whose satellite model also includes ventures in Norway, the UK and Angola. “By leveraging existing production assets and developing material initiatives in both the Kutei Basin and in Malaysia, we expect to deliver over 500,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in the mid-term,” he said.

Several international agreements focus on developing the liquefied natural gas (LNG) sector, seen as a bridge fuel in the energy transition.

Oilfield services company SLB and technology company Viridien signed two agreements to expand gas exploration in Egypt’s Eastern Mediterranean. The consortium is to deploy Ocean Bottom Node seismic surveys across 95,000 sq km from 2026, reducing exploration risks and boosting drilling. Schlumberger Egypt, the local unit of SLB, also extended its Egypt Upstream Gateway platform contract by three years with Dh161.5 million investment.