Energy infrastructure in focus on Day 2 of ADIPEC 2026

The infrastructure requirements of the global energy system were in focus on Day 2 of ADIPEC 2026, as ministers, CEOs and industry leaders came together to discuss how the world can build and strengthen the networks needed to meet growing energy demand as well as to ensure resilience

As economies expand, industries electrify and AI accelerates power consumption, speakers highlighted the need for increased investment in the physical systems that underpin energy delivery, from grids and transmission networks to supply chains, storage facilities and critical industrial infrastructure. Discussions centred on how to accelerate project delivery, strengthen resilience and ensure energy systems can respond to both rising demand and greater geopolitical uncertainty.

Across ministerial dialogues, executive panels and strategic discussions, the need was highlighting not only for expanding energy supply, but for building resilient networks, diversified supply chains and the operational capabilities required to deliver energy securely, reliably and at scale.

International co-ordination required

In the ministerial panel ‘Beyond borders: can national energy strategies deliver a connected global system?’, ministers explored how national energy priorities can be aligned to support a more connected, resilient and secure global energy system, highlighting the importance of greater international coordination across the energy value chain.

His Excellency Karim Badawi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Egypt said, "The world needs more energy, and unlocking and delivering this energy can only be done through collaboration and partnership. No single country or company can do this alone. Collaboration and partnership are the essence of unlocking these opportunities."

In his session titled ‘Powering what comes next: energy for a changing world’, Dr. Christian Bruch, President and CEO, Siemens Energy AG, explained how building resilient energy infrastructure requires a better understanding of local manufacturing capabilities, strategic storage requirements and how global supply chains can be integrated with local demand during periods of disruption.

Dr Bruch said, “There are new criteria emerging in the design of our energy systems. This region will be the first and leading region in building resilient energy systems. If you want to learn what the resilient energy infrastructure of the future will look like, this is where it is going to happen…The key question now is how to ensure more resilient supply chains in the event of global logistics disruptions. This means understanding what local capabilities are needed, which global supply chains can be leveraged, and what kind of storage is required.”

Technology investment

In the panel titled "The energy productivity opportunity: unlocking more value from every kilowatt", Olivier Blum, CEO of Schneider Electric, highlighted how long-term investments in digital technologies, combined with emerging AI capabilities, are helping utilities and operators better match supply with demand, improve system performance and optimise energy use. He argued that these technologies will be critical in addressing one of the industry's biggest challenges: meeting rapidly growing electricity demand while improving efficiency across the energy system.

He said, “We have to increase electricity generation. We do not really have a choice, as demand continues to rise. Industries are electrifying, cities are expanding and electric cars are becoming increasingly common. We need to produce more energy while also consuming it more efficiently.”

The close relationship between electrification, infrastructure and AI was also central to the session titled ‘AI-driven energy demand: planning infrastructure for an accelerating growth curve’.
Caspar Herzberg, CEO, AVEVA, said: "It is clear that AI requires significant amounts of power and that its infrastructure is being deployed very quickly. Other resources and infrastructure are developing at a slower pace. However, I see this more as a question of coordination than simply one of speed.”

Energy resilience and secured delivery was a recurring theme throughout the day. In the CEO panel ‘Turning disruption into advantage: resources, power and global growth’, executives discussed recent energy sector disruptions and the efforts made before and after to build resilience, agility and optionality into their strategies.

Highlighting the scale of the task, Lorenzo Simonelli, chairman and CEO, Baker Hughes, said, "We should never stop examining our different vulnerabilities and alternatives. This means looking across the supply chain and logistics, and making sure you have secondary, tertiary and even fourth sources of supply. You cannot afford to be dependent on single choke points; you need to be able to navigate and respond to different circumstances."