The UAE is positioning itself as a long-term strategic partner in the UK’s green hydrogen expansion, as the World Future Energy Summit opens in Abu Dhabi with a sharp focus on industrial decarbonisation and cross-border collaboration.
Taking place at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi from January 13 to 15 as part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week hosted by Masdar, the summit brings together policymakers, investors and industry leaders from the UAE and UK to explore how green hydrogen can move from pilot projects to large-scale deployment.
Against the backdrop of the UK’s ambition to scale low-carbon hydrogen production to 10GW by 2030, the summit will showcase how UAE expertise in renewable energy and large-scale Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) projects can help accelerate the development of the UK’s green hydrogen market.
UAE and UK hydrogen goals
Market analysts note that the initial “hurricane of hype” surrounding green hydrogen has given way over the past two years to a more disciplined phase of market realism.
This shift has prompted the UK to adopt a more ambitious development agenda, with low-carbon hydrogen now firmly embedded in national energy planning.
Sarah Jones, UK’s Minister of State for Industry, recently confirmed this direction. “I am convinced hydrogen must be at the heart of our plans to grow the economy and to become net zero by 2050,” she said. “Already, Government and industry are delivering real projects to kickstart the UK hydrogen economy.”
The UAE is well placed to benefit from — and actively fuel — the expansion of the UK’s green hydrogen industry, building on a long-established strategic relationship between the two countries.
Dr. Carole Nakhle, CEO of Crystol Energy and Secretary General of the Arab Energy Club, who will speak at the summit, said: “The UK and the UAE share a long-established strategic relationship that goes far beyond energy, but hydrogen is now a natural extension of that partnership as both countries pursue industrial decarbonisation and long-term growth.
“After the initial surge of enthusiasm, the hydrogen market has entered a more sober and disciplined phase, where scale, capital strength, technical expertise, and genuine long-term commitment will determine who succeeds.
“For that potential to translate into delivery, the UK will need a clear and stable regulatory framework that gives international partners such as the UAE the confidence to commit capital at scale and over decades.”
World Future Energy Summit
A two-part roundtable discussion hosted by the World Future Energy Summit last year concluded that there is “extremely fertile ground” for deeper UAE–UK collaboration on green hydrogen development, with the period from 2026 to 2030 identified as a potential new phase of partnership.
Scaling green hydrogen in the UK from pilot projects into industry-wide integration will require sustained capital. UK Government projections indicate that an additional £9bn ($11.4bn) in private sector funding must be raised to keep 2030 ambitions on track, largely through 27 hydrogen projects forming the next phase of its flagship programme.
In June 2025, the UK Government committed a further £500m ($635m) in public funding to hydrogen infrastructure, signalling long-term support for the sector.
This presents what industry leaders describe as an unmissable opportunity for the UAE to cement its role as a strategic investor. Domestically, the UAE has already committed billions of dollars to expand production capacity at sites including the Ta’ziz Industrial Hub and a gigawatt-scale hub at Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi (KEZAD).
Internationally, UAE private interests last year committed £18.5bn ($23.5bn) to a green hydrogen and ammonia project in Dakhla, Morocco, with a planned capacity of one million tonnes per year. Public and private capital from the UAE is now positioned to flow towards the UK, subject to clear policy signals and a strong pipeline of de-risked projects.
Green hydrogen potential
In a Future Energy Insights episode, Cornelius Matthes, CEO of Dii Desert Energy, outlined the rationale behind the UAE’s drive to build domestic green hydrogen capacity with export potential.
“The UAE has a target of 1.4 million tonnes per year by 2031, but with so many new projects in the pipeline, I’m confident it will exceed that level, even if they don’t all materialise,” he said.
Reflecting its growing role in the global energy transition, the World Future Energy Summit 2026 will again feature the Green Hydrogen Innovation Hub, showcasing more than 20 startups whose technologies could accelerate global adoption and upscaling.
With coordinated planning and close cooperation, industry leaders say the UAE and UK can align capital, expertise and infrastructure to secure early-mover advantages in green hydrogen and support faster industrial decarbonisation worldwide.
