UK-headquartered global engineering consultancy Wood has launched an energy transition hub in Abu Dhabi to provide technical, strategic, and economic solutions for clients across the Middle East, the company announced today.
The hub will focus on carbon advisory, hydrogen, carbon capture and storage, renewable power generation and decarbonisation. It will also support emission reduction initiatives, including flare minimisation and asset emissions reviews.
Gerry Traynor, President of Projects Eastern Hemisphere at Wood, said the new hub has been designed to help clients meet their decarbonisation goals and support the region’s sustainable energy push.
The launch fits with regional sustainability targets, including UAE Net Zero 2050 and Saudi Vision 2030. Wood expects regional clean energy investment to triple within the next five years.
“With global investment in the energy transition surpassing $2 trillion, Wood’s experts will play a key role in advancing pragmatic, scalable, and sustainable energy solutions for our clients and the region,” Traynor said.
The launch comes alongside clear signs that investment in clean energy across the region is accelerating. Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra Solar project, one of the world’s largest, became operational last year, while Saudi Arabia’s $8.4bn NEOM project is set to begin production in 2026.
At the same time, AI is playing an increasingly prominent role in the Middle East’s energy transition. UAE-headquartered energy group ADNOC has integrated AI across its operations, with over 200 use cases spanning exploration, refining and logistics. The company’s AI-driven seismic analysis has reportedly cut processing times from months to hours, while production forecast accuracy has improved by up to 90%.
“The race for AI supremacy is essentially an energy play,” said Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and ADNOC Managing Director, speaking at CERAWeek in Houston. “The fact is you cannot scale AI without access to energy. Simply put, the true cost of AI is not just in code, it’s in kilowatts.”
