Global Energy Summit to be held in Abu Dhabi in 2017

The Atlantic Council Global Energy Summit will be held in Abu Dhabi from 12th and 13th January, 2017, The UAE Ministry of Energy has announced.

This flagship initiative, launched in partnership with the Ministry of Energy, will kick off the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, with the intention of setting the 2017 energy agenda in a manner that will strengthen energy markets, encourage breakthrough technologies, and foster climate action.

The partnership between the ministry and the Atlantic Council was formalised in a Memorandum of Understanding signed by Minister of Energy Suhail Mohamed Faraj Al Mazrouei and Frederick Kempe, President and Chief Executive Officer of Atlantic Council.

"In line with the efforts of the UAE leadership to position the nation as a global leader in the energy sector, we are pleased to partner with the Atlantic Council to host the inaugural Atlantic Council Global Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi, marking this occasion as the first time the Atlantic Council has hosted a flagship event in a GCC country," Al Mazrouei said.

This summit will serve as an ideal platform for crucial discussions with world leaders and key players in the global energy sector about the future of the energy sector and how it will be affected by recent political and security trends, he added.

"The UAE is a global leader in developing both traditional and clean energy resources," Kempe said. Thus Abu Dhabi is an ideal location and partner for this global summit, which will be a critical forum to convene policy makers, business leaders, and private experts to explore the geopolitical and economic impact of rapidly changing energy markets and technology, he added.

The summit will focus on three key themes: the implications of the United States, US, elections for the global security and energy space; the emerging new oil and gas market order; and breakthrough energy technologies in the context of energy sector transformation and climate change.

"Energy security is becoming an increasingly important aspect of US national security, with far-reaching repercussions on global power dynamics," said Ambassador Richard L. Morningstar, founding director of the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Centre. "The new summit will no doubt provide an essential venue for discussing paramount energy challenges and forging the way forward with creative solutions."

The Abu Dhabi summit will address disruptive trends in energy systems and technologies, and examine oil, gas, nuclear, and clean energy market developments in the context of major political and security challenges.