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2026 SUMMIT AGENDA
DAY1
Day 1 Morning: Policy Frameworks & Collaborative Action
09:00 - 09:10
(10min)
Opening Welcome by Conference Chair
Simon Fraser
Partner
King & Spalding
09:10 - 09:30
(20min)
[Regional Keynotes] Developing MENA's Fit-for-Purpose CCUS Policy
H.E. Dr. Alanoud Alhaj
Assistant Undersecretary of Green Development & Climate Change Sector
UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment
Eng. Nawal Alhanaee
Director of Future Energy
UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure
09:30 - 09:50
(20min)
[International Keynotes] CCUS Policy Insights from Global Frontrunners
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[EU Keynote] Building a Global CCUS Alliance: How EU and the MENA Can Jointly Accelerate Industrial Decarbonisation
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​Building a Global CCUS Alliance: How Norway and the Middle East Can Jointly Accelerate Industrial Decarbonization
H.E. Lucie Berger
Ambassador of the European Union to the United Arab Emirates
Delegation of the European Union to the United Arab Emirates
H.E. Olav Myklebust
Ambassador of Norway to UAE & Qatar
Royal Norwegian Embassy in Abu Dhabi
09:50 - 10:30
(40min)
[C-Suit Panel] CCUS at a Turning Point: Strategies & Actions to Unlock MENA’s Global Role
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How Europe's CBAM will influence MENA's CCUS development?
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NOCs' Strategic Roadmap for CCUS in 2026 and Beyond.
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Opportunities for global CCUS leaders in developing projects in MENA.​
Ranjith Nair
Chief Executive Officer
Gulf Cryo
Vibhuti Bhushan
Chief Governance and Sustainability Officer
RAK Ceramics
Coffee Break (30 mins)
11:00 - 12:00
(60min)
​[Executive Panel] Powering the CCUS Ecosystem: Strategic Partnerships for Delivery at Scale
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Which policies and incentives can attract investment to accelerate CCUS deployment
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What collaborative models can effectively scale up CCUS projects?
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How can technological advancements and risk management ensure the sustainability of CCUS projects
Moderator:
Jack Mageau
Head of Middle East CCUS Research
Wood Mackenzie
Panelist:
Emmanuel Pradie
Senior Vice President Offshore Assets
TotalEnergies EP UAE
Olivier Milhaud
Chief Financial Officer
Holcim UAE
Ashraf Abufaris
Head of Gas Treatment Middle East and Central Asia
BASF
Manu Verma
Chief Executive Officer
RAK Gas
Amir Hermes
Head of CCS Bussiness Development US & MENA
SLB
Karan Khimji
Chief Commercial Officer
44.01
Elie Adaimy
Group Head of Business Development & Innovation
Gulf Cryo
Luncheon
Day 1 Afternoon: Project Execution & Commercialization
14:00 - 14:50
(50min)
[Panel] CCUS in Cross-Industry Hubs: Powering the Middle East's Industrial Transition
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Which sectors in MENA should be CCUS adoption priorities, considering CBAM, emissions profiles and readiness levels
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How does CCUS compare with alternatives in terms of cost-per-ton abated
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What regulations, financing, and technological advances are needed to catalyze decarbonization at scale
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Exploring decarbonization opportunities in emerging industries, such as Data Centers
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Case Study of impactful decarbonization investments and initiatives in operations and supply chains
Moderator:
Prakruthi Gowda
Partner
Norton Rose Fulbright (Middle East) LLP
Panelist:
Dimitrios Dimitriou
Group Vice President of ESG & Sustainability
EMSTEEL
Vipulkumar Shantilal Mehta
Cement Operation Director
CEMEX UAE
Senior Representative
Technip Energies
14:50 - 15:00
(10 mins)
[Keynote] Reserved for SLB
Joel Flitton
Head of Commercial for MENA, APAC and SAM
SLB Capturi
15:00 - 15:50
(50min)
[Panel] Cutting Costs & Enhancing Efficiency: Next-Gen Point-Source Capture and DAC for MENA
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Which emissions should be tackled by point source vs. DAC in MENA's decarbonization roadmap
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Discuss the policy tools to bridge the CCUS-DAC cost gap in MENA.
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Discuss the MENA-specific innovations for scalable CCUS & DAC.
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Discuss the role of AI in optimizing MENA's carbon capture.
Moderator:
Dr. Dharmesh Kumar
Business Development Director Middle East
WSP–Ricardo
Panelist:
Steve Kelly
President and General Manager
1PointFive International
Majed Alawad
Director, Joint Center of Excellence for Nanomaterials for Clean Energy Applications (CENCEA)
King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST)
Tony Aslam
Department General Manager Steel GX
Sumitomo Corporation Middle East FZE
Sudip Mukhopadhyay
Co-founder and CEO
AirMyne
Coffee Break (30 mins)
16:20 -17:10
(50min)
​[Panel] How Carbon Markets Drive CCUS Profitability: From CO₂ to Revenue
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Carbon Tax or Carbon Credits? Which mechanism is MENA's choice.
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Designing MENA-specific policy mixes for CCUS bankability.
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Who gets to certify MENA’s CCUS credits? Local schemes vs. Verra/Gold Standard.
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Exploring carbon credit purchasing strategies and decision-making factors.
Moderator:
Salih Yilmaz
Senior Equity Research Analyst, Energy, Oil & Gas, Transition
Bloomberg
Panelist:
Amar Ehsan
Head of Commodities Trading
Emirates NBD
Zafar Samadov
Head of Partnerships
International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
Emanuele Gallone
Head of Portfolio Management
ENOWA
Ian Kuwahara
Director of Energy and Industrial Innovation
Verra
Omar Alajaji
Advisory Services Lead
Voluntary Carbon Market
17:10 - 17:20
(10min)
Navigating Saudi Arabia's Carbon Registries and I-RECs: A Project Developer's Perspective
Emanuele Gallone
Head of Portfolio Management
ENOWA
17:20 - 17:30
(10 mins)
End of Day One Conference
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