ADIPEC 2023: Forging the path to Decarbonising. Faster. Together.

ADIPEC 2023, held under the theme ‘Decarbonising. Faster. Together.’, welcomed a record-breaking 184,000 attendees from over 160 countries, to discuss, learn, network and align on a global path to decarbonisation.

At the heart of this year’s event were the ADIPEC Conferences, which attracted over 1,600 speakers, including over 40 energy ministers and 120 C-suite executives operating at the forefront of industry transformation. Speakers from across the world, hailing from both the public and private sectors, discussed, debated and laid the foundations for the course of global decarbonisation between now and 2050.

ADIPEC 2023 covered a vast range of topics, from decarbonisation, to hydrogen, to alternative fuels and more, taking place over 350 curated sessions throughout the four days.

Central to the event was the Strategic Conference that provided critical knowledge and insights on the solutions for change and transformational progress across the entire energy ecosystem.

Tackling the most pressing challenges of the energy transition - climate technology, investment, energy security and affordability - and providing critical knowledge and insight on the solutions for unlocking impactful change.

Against this backdrop, ADIPEC 2023 was opened by Dr Sultan Al Jaber, COP28 President-Designate, who spoke directly to the energy industry’s role in mobilising transformative progress.

“Everyone must be around the table to make the transformational progress needed, and especially the energy industry. No other industry has the same ability to manage complexity, depth of knowledge, engineering talent, technology, capital, and scale that is needed for the task at hand.”

Dr Sultan Al Jaber, COP28 President-Designate

Driving the policy agenda

Taking place just one month before world leaders meet in the UAE for COP28, the 2023 ADIPEC Strategic Conference provided the platform for energy producers, the biggest energy consumers, and enablers in government, finance, and technology, to align ahead of decisive climate talks, and offer thought leadership on the strategies required to achieve global decarbonisation targets.

These remarks were echoed by the leading CEOs from across the energy sector who spoke with a united voice on the importance of committing to concrete actions that will enable decarbonisation and accelerate the energy transition.

“At Aramco, we believe that energy security and sustainability can co-exist. We remain committed to helping supply the world's growing energy needs as we also expand our efforts to develop lower-carbon solutions that will provide future generations with cleaner and more sustainable energy.”

Amin H. Nasser, President and CEO, Aramco

“Eni’s commitment is to a long term decarbonisation strategy, based on technological innovation and a distinctive business model. Our goal is to deliver progressively decarbonised products and services to our customers, balancing environmental sustainability, energy security and competitiveness.”

Claudio Descalzi, CEO, Eni

With a palpable atmosphere of ambition for change, the ministerial panel that followed Dr Sultan Al Jaber’s opening remarks on ‘Fast Tracking the Energy Transition’ demonstrated the dedication of policymakers to deliver a decisive and impactful energy transition around the world here and now.

“We believe in sustainability, and have done so for 17 years when UAE started diversifying and investing in renewables. We will triple our investments in renewables by 2030. And we will move even more aggressively from then”.

His Excellency Suhail Mohamed Faraj Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, United Arab Emirates

Other ministerial panels explored ‘Navigating Energy and Geopolitics in the New World Order’ and ‘The Road to COP28: Climate, Sustainability and an Equitable Transition’ addressing the central questions at the heart of delivering decarbonisation, while ensuring that any global transition is just and efficient, leaving no one behind. 

"It is important we strike a balance between energy security and the energy transition. People see energy security as short term, and the energy transition as long term. I think both should be long term objectives."

His Excellency, Osama Mobarez, Secretary General, East Mediterranean Gas Forum

A key outcome of these sessions was a recognition of the critical importance of managing the realities of the energy transition in different geographies, and how each country faces its own unique challenges and opportunities.

"We are pushing hard at the international level to bring about a balanced discussion and approach. The Global South needs to keep pushing for this balance, both in terms of responsibilities and the priorities of countries and regions".

Papa Samba, Hydrocarbon Director, Ministry of Petroleum and Energies, Senegal

ADIPEC conferences in numbers

Energy leaders unite on path to decarbonisation

Alongside policymakers, the ADIPEC 2023 Strategic Conference also played host to many of the most prominent CEOs from across the energy sector, who spoke authoritatively and decisively on their role in enabling decarbonisation and committing to action to reduce emissions. Throughout the sessions, speakers highlighted the transformative potential of technology and the importance of deploying capital to enable game-changing solutions to achieve scale.

“If there is a sector that knows how to play long shots, it is our sector. Typically, were going for a one in ten shot - this is a sector that knows how to do that. We are going to have to kiss many frogs here. We need to channel capital into the most viable options that are out there.”

Wael Sawan, CEO, Shell

Others pointed to the critical importance of cross sector partnerships in driving forward solutions and delivering a rapid, efficient, and equitable transition.

"When you look at the energy transition and decarbonisation, there haven’t been any breakthroughs in the past year. The tools, the technology, and the willpower are there. Looking ahead, it’s partnerships that are needed now to unlock the industry’s potential."

Lucian Boldea, President and CEO, Honeywell Performance Materials & Technologies

Speaking during a Leadership Perspectives session, Manish Pant, EVP, International Operations Member of the Executive Committee, Schneider Electric summarised the value of these partnerships, and the essential role that ADIPEC plays in facilitating them:

“The slogan of ADIPEC says it all - sustainability is a journey that we can't do alone, and we need to have multilateral partnerships. New tech and new business models need to be adapted, and governments can also make a big difference for decarbonisation”.

Manish Pant, EVP, International Operations Member of the Executive Committee, Schneider Electric

In order to enable real progress, ADIPEC 2023 also provided a platform for the energy ecosystem to discuss the entire energy value chain, with expert speakers providing unique and insightful perspectives on the gaps and needs in their respective decarbonisation journeys.

“Integrated systems and solutions are at the heart of everything we do. We will continue to drive efficiency for our vertical value chain as we decarbonise it. There is still a lot to do, and our 22,000 people are excited by where we are today and how the industry is changing”.

Thierry Conti, President, Surface Technologies - TechnipFMC

Defining the year ahead and beyond

This year, ADIPEC reaffirmed its position at the heart of the energy sector, and its role as the ultimate platform for tangible and decisive action towards Net Zero. Speakers across the Strategic Conference sessions emphasised the opportunity presented by ADIPEC 2023:

"We are living in times where we can really set the stage for the future. Looking at many of the reputable companies here, we have the technology, or we will in a very short time. The big thing is the social transformation and the capital, which is not an easy thing. That's why we need to have these kinds of events to come together".

Håkan Agnevall, President and CEO, Wartsila

Others reflected on the event’s development over almost 40 years, and its unique ability to unite policymakers, company leaders, and industry thought leaders from across the energy ecosystem.

"As I look at the last five years, ADIPEC has changed from being an oil and gas conference to an energy ecosystems conference. Really across the board, what's happened is an ecosystem of partnerships and enabling technologies."

Lorenzo Simonelli, Chairman and CEO, Baker Hughes

ADIPEC 2023 maintained its reputation as one of the leading industry events where tangible solutions are created for the many challenges facing the global energy sector. Setting the tone for the year ahead and providing global leaders with the opportunity to craft a future where we can truly, decarbonise, faster, together.

“With COP28 hosted by the UAE, it was essential that ADIPEC 2023, taking place a few weeks before the UN conference in Dubai, addressed the relationship between the oil and gas industry and climate action, head on. That is exactly what happened. The theme, ‘Decarbonising, Faster, Together’ was clearly reflected in the conference programme, which was exciting enough for me, and the exhibition, which, in many cases, blew my mind.”

Brian Sullivan, Executive Director, Ipieca

Sitting at the heart of the energy transition and building upon the success of 2023, ADIPEC will continue to lead the global conversation in 2024, as the home of the game-changing solutions, cross-sector partnerships and strategic dialogues that will make decarbonisation and the future proofing of energy systems a reality.