The UAE is positioning itself as a long-term strategic associate within the UK’s inexperienced hydrogen growth, because the World Future Power Summit opens in Abu Dhabi with a pointy deal with industrial decarbonisation and cross-border collaboration.
Happening at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi from January 13 to fifteen as a part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week hosted by Masdar, the summit brings collectively policymakers, traders and {industry} leaders from the UAE and UK to discover how inexperienced hydrogen can transfer from pilot tasks to large-scale deployment.
Towards the backdrop of the UK’s ambition to scale low-carbon hydrogen manufacturing to 10GW by 2030, the summit will showcase how UAE experience in renewable vitality and large-scale Carbon Seize, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) tasks can assist speed up the event of the UK’s inexperienced hydrogen market.
UAE and UK hydrogen objectives
Market analysts word that the preliminary “hurricane of hype” surrounding inexperienced hydrogen has given manner over the previous two years to a extra disciplined part of market realism.
This shift has prompted the UK to undertake a extra formidable improvement agenda, with low-carbon hydrogen now firmly embedded in nationwide vitality planning.
Sarah Jones, UK’s Minister of State for Trade, just lately confirmed this course. “I’m satisfied hydrogen should be on the coronary heart of our plans to develop the economic system and to grow to be web zero by 2050,” she mentioned. “Already, Authorities and {industry} are delivering actual tasks to kickstart the UK hydrogen economic system.”
The UAE is well placed to benefit from — and actively fuel — the expansion of the UK’s green hydrogen industry, constructing on a long-established strategic relationship between the 2 international locations.
Dr. Carole Nakhle, CEO of Crystol Power and Secretary Normal of the Arab Power Membership, who will communicate on the summit, mentioned: “The UK and the UAE share a long-established strategic relationship that goes far past vitality, however hydrogen is now a pure extension of that partnership as each international locations pursue industrial decarbonisation and long-term progress.
“After the preliminary surge of enthusiasm, the hydrogen market has entered a extra sober and disciplined part, the place scale, capital power, technical experience, and real long-term dedication will decide who succeeds.
“For that potential to translate into supply, the UK will want a transparent and steady regulatory framework that offers worldwide companions such because the UAE the arrogance to commit capital at scale and over many years.”
World Future Power Summit
A two-part roundtable dialogue hosted by the World Future Power Summit final yr concluded that there’s “extraordinarily fertile floor” for deeper UAE–UK collaboration on inexperienced hydrogen improvement, with the interval from 2026 to 2030 recognized as a possible new part of partnership.
Scaling inexperienced hydrogen within the UK from pilot tasks into industry-wide integration would require sustained capital. UK Authorities projections point out that an extra £9bn ($11.4bn) in non-public sector funding should be raised to maintain 2030 ambitions on observe, largely by 27 hydrogen tasks forming the subsequent part of its flagship programme.
In June 2025, the UK Authorities dedicated an extra £500m ($635m) in public funding to hydrogen infrastructure, signalling long-term help for the sector.
This presents what {industry} leaders describe as an unmissable alternative for the UAE to cement its position as a strategic investor. Domestically, the UAE has already dedicated billions of {dollars} to develop manufacturing capability at websites together with the Ta’ziz Industrial Hub and a gigawatt-scale hub at Khalifa Financial Zones Abu Dhabi (KEZAD).
Internationally, UAE non-public pursuits final yr dedicated £18.5bn ($23.5bn) to a inexperienced hydrogen and ammonia venture in Dakhla, Morocco, with a deliberate capability of 1 million tonnes per yr. Private and non-private capital from the UAE is now positioned to movement in the direction of the UK, topic to clear coverage indicators and a robust pipeline of de-risked tasks.
Inexperienced hydrogen potential
In a Future Power Insights episode, Cornelius Matthes, CEO of Dii Desert Power, outlined the rationale behind the UAE’s drive to construct home inexperienced hydrogen capability with export potential.
“The UAE has a goal of 1.4 million tonnes per yr by 2031, however with so many new tasks within the pipeline, I’m assured it is going to exceed that stage, even when they don’t all materialise,” he mentioned.
Reflecting its rising position within the international vitality transition, the World Future Power Summit 2026 will once more function the Inexperienced Hydrogen Innovation Hub, showcasing greater than 20 startups whose applied sciences might speed up international adoption and upscaling.
With coordinated planning and shut cooperation, {industry} leaders say the UAE and UK can align capital, experience and infrastructure to safe early-mover benefits in inexperienced hydrogen and help quicker industrial decarbonisation worldwide.
