Boris Johnson, Bertrand Piccard to headline Masdar’s Green Hydrogen Summit in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC – Masdar has announced a stellar international lineup for its Green Hydrogen Summit including former UK Prime Minister Rt Hon Boris Johnson, ministerial speakers from the UAE, Azerbaijan, Japan and the Netherlands, industry leaders and global adventurer Dr. Bertrand Piccard.

Masdar’s second Green Hydrogen Summit, taking place on 16th April at the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) in Abu Dhabi, will be held under the theme “Building the Hydrogen Economy: From Dialogue to Reality". It will convene hydrogen players worldwide for in-depth discussions to accelerate the green hydrogen economy in support of the energy transition.

Keynote speaker Boris Johnson brings significant international experience of advancing clean energy initiatives. During his leadership as UK Prime Minister, Johnson laid out plans to develop a thriving low-carbon hydrogen sector as a key part of the country’s transition to net zero. Dr. Bertrand Piccard, Chairman of Climate Impulse, will also be speaking at the Summit. During his session he will outline progress on his aim for the first hydrogen-powered flight to circumnavigate the planet. Dr. Piccard’s record-breaking adventures include the first non-stop balloon flight around the world, as well as Solar Impulse, the first flight around the world in a solar-powered aircraft.

Hosted by the UAE’s clean energy champion Masdar, the Green Hydrogen Summit will feature a high-level ministerial panel focusing on national strategies and policies to accelerate green hydrogen economies. Ministers taking part in the panel include: Parviz Shahbazov, Minister of Energy, Azerbaijan; Yoshida Nobuhiro, Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan; and Frederik Wisselink, Energy Special Envoy, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, Netherlands.

Abu Dhabi’s Low Carbon Hydrogen Policy, and its impact on crucial industries, will be the subject of another panel. Speakers in this session will include Ahmed Mohammed Al Rumaithi, Undersecretary, Abu Dhabi Department of Energy and Mohammad Abdelqader El-Ramahi, Chief Green Hydrogen Officer, Masdar, alongside other high-level Abu Dhabi stakeholders.

The Green Hydrogen Summit will bring together the public and private sector, from policymakers and industry leaders to forward-thinking investors and pioneering entrepreneurs. A conversation on ‘Financing the Transition’ will focus on factors needed to make green hydrogen projects bankable, and will feature Lina Osman, Managing Director & Head - Sustainable Finance, Standard Chartered Bank and Dr. Michael Whiteley, Global Head Clean Hydrogen, HSBC, amongst other global finance leaders.

There will also be a pan-regional focus looking at the development of green hydrogen economies in Asia, the US and Europe. Speakers include Daria Nochevnik, Director for Policy and Partnerships, Hydrogen Council; Joaquin Rodriguez Jadraque, Director of Hydrogen and Clean Energies, Cepsa; and Alicia Eastman, Host of Everything About Hydrogen and Board Member, InterContinental Energy.

Other panels will spotlight hard-to-abate industries including aviation, shipping and heavy industry, with a key conversation on decarbonising the steel sector featuring industry leaders such as Micheal Rion, Chief Commercial Officer, Emirates Steel Arkan.