Green Hydrogen Summit sets out roadmap to future fuels economy

Abu Dhabi, UAE – APRIL  19, 2024: Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC – 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 UK prime minister the Rt Hon Boris Johnson, praised the UAE as one of the world’s great centers of technological innovation and highlighted the longstanding ties between the United Kingdom and the UAE on renewable energy projects in the past and into the future, including green hydrogen.

^{Boris Johnson at the Green Hydrogen Summit (Masdar)}

Johnson also commended HE Dr Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Chairman of Masdar and President of COP28, 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 US and Asia, its potential for industries such as steel and transportation and how to make projects more bankable.

H.E. Parviz Shahbazov, Minister of Energy for Azerbaijan, H.E. 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 to the world were also highlighted.

Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar, commented: “This year’s Green Hydrogen Summit assembled a highly impressive list of speakers and panelists who provided great insights into the enormous potential of the green hydrogen economy, while also addressing some of the challenges. Green hydrogen is a vital element of a sustainable energy transition for the UAE and global decarbonization 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, the AI-driven platform which 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, supporting Abu Dhabi’s Low-Carbon Hydrogen Policy announced during COP28, following a trilateral strategic collaboration between Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, ADIO and Masdar to position the UAE as a global hydrogen leader.

^{Dr Bertrand Piccard at the Green Hydrogen Summit (Masdar)}