Today's Edition
MAYS IBRAHIM (ABU DHABI)
Artificial intelligence is emerging as a game-changer in the global energy transition, enabling smarter, cleaner, and more efficient systems, said Noel Aoun, Chief Strategy Officer at TAQA, during the Abu Dhabi Sustainable Business Leadership Forum 2025 on Wednesday.
“We find ourselves at the technological inflection point, one that is rapidly reshaping industries, societies, and economic development,” Aoun said. “How we harness innovation today will define the sustainability and resilience of tomorrow.”
Aoun highlighted the central role of AI and digitisation in TAQA’s transformation from a traditional utility to an integrated power and water solutions provider.
AI, he noted, is already enhancing operations across the company — from predicting maintenance needs and optimising electricity distribution to improving water efficiency and climate risk modeling.
“When used efficiently, AI can help us anticipate problems before they occur and optimise operations in real time. This allows us to increase efficiency, save money, and most importantly, reduce carbon emissions across our energy networks,” he said.
“Our digital and AI strategy is enabled to allow us to unlock the full power of advanced technologies, such as data analytics, automation, process optimisation, improving decision-making, and most importantly, delivering enhanced customer solutions.”
TAQA is also exploring AI’s potential across the full energy and water value chain, including wastewater management and grid integration.
Managing AI’s Environmental Footprint
But Aoun cautioned that AI's own environmental footprint — particularly from energy-and water-intensive data centres — must be managed responsibly. This is an area where TAQA’s end-to-end oversight provides a strategic advantage.
He added that partnerships are essential to fully unlock AI’s potential. “No single company, industry, or government can tackle those challenges that we are facing today. It is only through working together across sectors, across borders, that we can achieve our shared vision of a sustainable future,” he said.
The Abu Dhabi Sustainable Business Leadership Forum 2025, held under the theme “Collaboration for Impact: Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Business Practices,” offers a platform for such collaboration, according to Aoun.
“Around 35% of the emission reduction needed to reach net zero by 2050 rely on technologies that are not yet proven at the commercial scale,” Aoun noted, citing figures by the International Energy Agency.
“This means that technological innovation alone is not enough. We need enabling policies. We need frameworks. We need regulatory clarity. We need the right financial models. We need the right public trust to turn all those innovation ideas into reality,” he added.
Fortunately, significant progress is being made. Aoun pointed to landmark projects aligned with UAE’s Net Zero 2050 goals, including a new gas plant and smart grid infrastructure developed in partnership with the Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC), and Masdar’s recently announced giga project — the world’s first utility-scale, round-the-clock solar PV and battery system.
Once completed, the project will provide up to one gigawatt of continuous, round-the-clock renewable energy, according to Aoun.
