The 15th Dii Desert Energy Leadership Summit, held November 6–7 at The W Dubai – The Palm, opened with a clear call for realism and collaboration in driving the energy transition. Under the patronage of the UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, the two-day event convened ministers, CEOs, and financiers to move from ambition to implementation across the MENA region.

The opening session, “Key Enablers of the Energy Transformation in MENA,” moderated by Dan Feldman, Global Head of Energy at King & Spalding, brought together Eng. Abdulaziz Al Shidhani (Hydrom), Gauri Singh (IRENA), Luc Koechlin (EDF Group Middle East), Ebubekir Koyuncu (Air Products Qudra), Fatima Hamdouch (MASEN), and Mohammad Abdelqader El Ramahi (Masdar). The discussion explored how policy, infrastructure, and finance can align to accelerate clean energy growth in an increasingly complex global market.

Feldman set the stage, noting that while MENA continues to lead in clean-energy investment, “policy and regulation must keep pace with technology and capital.”

Masdar’s El Ramahi stressed that “electrons alone won’t get us to net-zero.” Hydrogen, he said, is essential for decarbonizing heavy industry and transport. Masdar aims to capture 5% of the global hydrogen market by 2035, focusing on UAE projects and European partnerships.

Hydrom’s Al Shidhani highlighted Oman’s steady progress—from its first hydrogen fueling station to a hydrogen corridor with the Port of Rotterdam—and new tax and land incentives for projects operational before 2032.

Air Products Qudra’s Koyuncu emphasized the need to bridge short-term demand with scalable, low-carbon solutions. “Hydrogen has moved from hype to execution,” he said. “Blue hydrogen, enabled by carbon capture and existing industrial feedstocks, offers a bridge to large-scale green hydrogen.” He described ongoing projects in Saudi Arabia that integrate CCS with refinery residues, positioning blue hydrogen as an immediate, commercially viable step toward decarbonization.

EDF’s Koechlin pointed to Europe’s pressing need for system stability, not just renewable growth, calling for long-duration storage, flexible baseload, and smarter demand management.

IRENA’s Singh underscored the importance of grid investment—around $670 billion annually—to sustain momentum, while MASEN’s Hamdouch cited Morocco’s long-term policy framework as proof that consistency builds investor confidence.

The tone was pragmatic but optimistic. Panelists agreed that MENA’s leadership depends on balancing green and blue hydrogen, stable regulation, and investment-ready infrastructure. As Feldman concluded, the region’s energy transition is no longer about ambition—it’s about execution, integration, and making clean energy bankable at scale.