The third-annual Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum concluded in Abu Dhabi. As part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, the Forum convened regional and global policymakers and industry leaders to discuss the geopolitical and economic impact on the energy agenda.
This year’s Forum focused on four major themes – the future of oil, the digitization of energy, diversification within energy companies and countries, and a regional focus on east and southeast Asia.
Suhail bin Mohammed Faraj Faris Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Industry, opened the Global Energy Forum by welcoming participants and commenting on the 2019 energy agenda. Following the remarks made by Suhail Al Mazrouei, Dr. Sultan bin Ahmad Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State and ADNOC Group CEO, addressed the audience. Other speakers on the opening day included; Musabbeh Al-Kaabi, CEO, Petroleum and Petrochemicals, Mubadala Investment Company and The Hon. Ernest Moniz, President and CEO, Energy Futures Initiative; former Secretary, US Department of Energy. The Hon. Moniz discussed the impact of new energy technologies on geopolitics.
Opening day two of the forum, Khalid Al-Falih, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Energy, Industry, and Mineral Resources, delivered a plenary address to the Forum’s participants by giving an update on the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 transformation program and the status of the oil markets. The address was followed by a question and answer discussion with Frederick Kempe, Atlantic Council President and CEO. Day two also included discussions on the decarbonisation of oil and gas, the future of shale, and a closing session on the Vienna alliance with Minister Al Mazrouei and Mohammed Barkindo, Secretary-General of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC.
In its third year, the Global Energy Forum is the premier international gathering of government, industry, and thought leaders to set the global energy agenda for the year and anticipate and respond to the dramatic changes in the world of energy.
The Forum is hosted under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. It is convened in partnership with the Ministry of Energy and Industry of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, ADNOC, and Mubadala Investment Company, with Sharjah-based Crescent Petroleum as Platinum Co-Chair.