Middle East Energy 2025 closes with record turnout

The 49th edition of Middle East Energy wrapped up at Dubai World Trade Centre under the patronage of the UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, reinforcing its status as the region’s largest and most influential energy exhibition.

This year’s event saw the introduction of the Africa Business Leaders Forum, where policymakers, financiers, and sector experts examined investment challenges and opportunities, with a particular focus on fostering stronger cooperation between Africa and the Middle East. Discussions centred on unlocking energy investment in Africa through innovative financial models and strategic partnerships.

The session was moderated by Anna Hajduk of African GreenCo Group and opened with remarks from Ahmed Al Mulla, Executive Vice President of Infinity Power, who underscored the continent’s abundant solar and hydropower potential, noting that more than 600 million people in Africa still lack access to electricity due to limited infrastructure.

Morocco’s renewable energy transition was spotlighted as a case study, with Fatima Zahra Khalifa, General Manager of Cluster ENR at the Climate Innovation Centre Morocco, highlighting the ambitious Xlinks project. The initiative aims to generate 10 GW of renewable energy in Morocco and export it to the United Kingdom.

The exhibition floor also saw notable product launches, including Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd’s Optiprime dual-core generator (1,000 kVA), the smallest model in its category, and the compact Sentinel series for smaller-scale applications.

Reflecting on the show’s success, Mark Ring, Energy Exhibitions Director at Informa Markets, described it as the largest and most productive edition to date, marked by record attendance, major innovations, and the debut of the Battery Show – a feature expected to grow in the 2026 edition.

DEWA's contributions

At the opening ceremony, DEWA CEO HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer delivered an address highlighting the UAE's transformative commitment to sustainable energy and climate action.

At the core of his speech was the nation's ambitious vision to revolutionise its energy landscape by transitioning to cleaner, more sustainable power sources.

The speech emphasised the UAE's strategic approach to energy transformation, driven by the leadership of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Currently, the UAE has already established 6 GW of renewable energy and 5.6 GW of nuclear power, with a bold target to reach 20 GW of green energy by 2030.

Key highlights include the UAE's Energy Strategy 2050, which sets aggressive targets for renewable capacity, energy efficiency, and clean energy integration. The strategy aims to increase clean energy's share in the total energy mix to 30% by 2030 and reduce carbon emissions significantly.

At The Battery Show, Dr. Marek Kubik, director of battery energy storage systems (BESS) at Enowa.Neom, delivered a groundbreaking presentation revealing the explosive growth of energy storage in the Middle East.

Kubik’s insights paint a picture of a region on the cusp of a renewable energy revolution, saying that the Middle East could be the third largest storage market in the world by 2026.