Green Hydrogen Summit sets out roadmap to future fuels' economy

Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar), the UAE’s clean energy powerhouse, has hailed the conclusion of a highly successful Green Hydrogen Summit focused on accelerating the development of the global green hydrogen economy and supporting the energy transition.

Under the theme, “Building the Hydrogen Economy: From Dialogue to Reality”, the summit assembled an impressive line-up of stakeholders including ministerial speakers from the UAE, Azerbaijan, Japan and the Netherlands, policymakers, industry leaders, forward-thinking investors and pioneering entrepreneurs.

Keynote speaker, former United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, praised the UAE as one of the world’s great centres of technological innovation and highlighted the longstanding ties between the UK and the UAE on renewable energy projects in the past and in the future, including green hydrogen.

Johnson also commended Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Chairman of Masdar and COP28 President, for his leadership in delivering the UAE Consensus at COP28.

In his address, Dr. Bertrand Piccard, Chairman of Climate Impulse, who is planning the first hydrogen-powered flight to circumnavigate the planet, stressed the importance of the Green Hydrogen Summit and the work of Masdar in advancing the development and progress of green hydrogen.

The summit witnessed global hydrogen players engaging in insightful discussions on many critical topics, ranging from the role of hydrogen in the UAE, Europe, the United States, and Asia to its potential for industries such as steel and transportation, and how to make projects more bankable.

Parviz Shahbazov, Minister of Energy for Azerbaijan, Yoshida Nobuhiro, Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry for Japan, and Frederik Wisselink, Energy Envoy, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, The Netherlands, outlined national strategies and policies to accelerate green hydrogen economies.

Abu Dhabi’s low-carbon hydrogen policy and its potential to attract innovators, technology providers, and key players in the green hydrogen sector while enabling Masdar to start developing cost-effective, technology-driven, pioneering green hydrogen projects worldwide were also highlighted.

Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, CEO of Masdar, commented, “This year’s Green Hydrogen Summit assembled a highly impressive list of speakers and panellists who provided great insights into the green hydrogen economy's enormous potential while addressing some of the challenges. Green hydrogen is a vital element of a sustainable energy transition for the UAE and global decarbonisation efforts and Masdar is working hard to accelerate investment in green hydrogen to advance the sector and support the diversification of the UAE’s economy and the global clean energy transition.”

The summit ended with a demonstration of Net Zero Navigator, an AI-driven platform that enables cross-referencing of current financial mechanisms, best policy environments, and partnership models to allow the development and scaling of technologies, innovations, and strategies to achieve net zero faster.

Masdar’s green hydrogen business aims to be a leading global producer by 2030. It supports Abu Dhabi’s Low-Carbon Hydrogen Policy announced during COP28, following a trilateral strategic collaboration between the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, ADIO, and Masdar to position the UAE as a global hydrogen leader.