The UAE continues to support the growth of green hydrogen projects in the United Kingdom

The World Future Energy Summit, which comes under the umbrella of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week and is hosted by Masdar, is preparing to launch its activities in Abu Dhabi to highlight the pivotal role of green hydrogen in reducing emissions within the industrial sector, especially in light of the accelerating global transformation efforts in the field of energy.

Based on the United Kingdom’s efforts to expand its production of low-carbon hydrogen to 10 gigawatts by 2030, the summit provides a comprehensive platform for sector leaders, policy makers and investors from the UAE and the United Kingdom, allowing them to explore possible joint solutions. The event showcases the UAE’s experience in renewable energy solutions and large-scale carbon capture, use and storage projects, and its role in expanding the green hydrogen market in the United Kingdom, which helps lay solid foundations for strategic partnerships and cross-border investments.

Market analysts point out that the widespread trend towards green hydrogen has reached new levels over the past two years, prompting the United Kingdom to set an ambitious development agenda that focuses on low-carbon hydrogen at the forefront of its energy plans. The clear confidence contained in the statements of senior figures in the British government reflects a clear transition from the stage of declared intentions to the actual implementation of projects and investments that can be expanded.

Sarah Jones, Minister of Industry in the United Kingdom, said that there is a need to place hydrogen at the heart of our plans to develop the economy and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Today, government agencies are cooperating with the industrial sector to implement actual projects that contribute to advancing the hydrogen economy in the United Kingdom.

The UAE has the necessary capabilities to benefit from the rapid growth of the green hydrogen sector in the United Kingdom, and to contribute effectively to its support and growth.

For her part, Dr. Carole Nakhleh, CEO of Crystol Energy and Secretary-General of the Arab Energy Forum, said: The United Kingdom and the UAE have a well-established strategic relationship that is not limited to the energy field, and hydrogen today represents a natural extension of this partnership in light of their continued pursuit of carbon neutrality in the industrial sector and achieving long-term growth.

The hydrogen market is entering a more stable and focused phase following the end of the initial wave of enthusiasm, as success factors revolve around business scale, capital strength, technical expertise, and actual long-term commitment.

To truly benefit from this potential, the UK must adopt a clear and stable regulatory framework that gives global partners like the UAE the level of confidence necessary to commit to significant, long-term capital injections.” Dr. Nakhla will also participate as a speaker at the summit, which will be held next week.

Early this year, the World Future Energy Summit hosted a two-part dialogue session that brought together an elite group of prominent leadership figures from clean energy companies, industrial sectors, and financial and governmental institutions in both the United Kingdom and the UAE. The participants concluded that the environment is strongly prepared for closer cooperation between the two countries in the field of green hydrogen development.

In light of the integration of interests, ambitions and areas of expertise, the period between 2026 and 2030 may chart the features of a new phase in the path of British-Emirati cooperation in the field of green hydrogen.

While the UK intends to shift its use of green hydrogen from pilot projects and limited case studies to integrating it across entire industrial sectors, it will require significant and sustained funding.

The British government estimates that it needs to raise approximately 9 billion additional pounds (equivalent to 44.6 billion UAE dirhams) from private sector investments to achieve the goals of 2030, primarily through 27 hydrogen projects that represent the next stage of the pioneering government program in this field. In June 2025, the British government allocated an additional £500 million of government funding to develop hydrogen infrastructure, a clear signal of its long-term commitment to developing this emerging industry.

This event represents an exceptional opportunity that allows the UAE to consolidate its position as a long-term strategic partner in the development of green hydrogen in the United Kingdom. The state has allocated billions of dollars to expand the activity of local production facilities, such as the Taziz Chemical Industries Zone and a huge production center with a production capacity of one gigawatt in the Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi (KIZAD).

The state is investing 7 billion US dollars in these two projects. The UAE’s efforts to invest at the global level are accelerating at a rapid pace. Last year saw the UAE private sector commit to investing US$25 billion in a new green hydrogen and ammonia project in Dakhla, Morocco, with the aim of developing a facility with a production capacity of one million tons annually. Government and private investment sources in the UAE are now preparing to direct their efforts towards the UK as well, if the right encouragement is provided through an appropriate mix of clear government incentives and an attractive portfolio of rewarding, low-risk projects.

Cornelius Mathis, CEO of De Desert Energy, spoke in an episode of the Visions on the Future of Energy podcast, about the reasons for the UAE’s push to develop local capabilities in the field of green hydrogen projects with the aim of establishing an industry that exceeds local demand and benefits from the growing global demand for decarbonization.

He said that the UAE aims to produce 1.4 million tons annually by 2031, but I believe that it will exceed this number due to the presence of many new projects under implementation, even if not all of them are completed.

The World Future Energy Summit 2026, which includes a wide range of leading players in the sector, will once again host the Green Hydrogen Innovation Centre, an area dedicated to showcasing the innovations of more than 20 startup companies that may pave the way towards achieving faster global integration and expanding the scale of production, in recognition of its increasing role and prominent presence in the global energy transition scene.

The United Kingdom and the UAE can optimally benefit from their extensive resources, experience, and investment relationships through thoughtful planning and close cooperation, ensuring that both countries reap the benefits of early adoption of green hydrogen projects. The World Future Energy Summit explores the growing ties between the two countries and their regional markets in the context of the global shift towards cleaner energy sources that contribute to accelerating the process of decarbonizing the industrial sector.