Today's Edition
SARA ALZAABI (ABU DHABI)
Abu Dhabi will invest more than Dh300 billion in energy and water infrastructure over the next decade as artificial intelligence, data-intensive industries and economic expansion drive a new wave of demand for reliable, high-capacity power and water systems.
"Preparing for future demand requires looking well beyond today's requirements," Eng Ahmed Mohammed Al Rumaithi, Undersecretary of the Department of Energy – Abu Dhabi, told Aletihad in an interview.
The challenge, according to Al Rumaithi, is not to build more generation or water capacity as consumption rises. The key measure of success lies in anticipating how new sources of demand will interact across electricity, water, cooling, storage and digital infrastructure, then plan those systems together rather than in isolation.
The rapid expansion of AI is creating new demand for electricity and digital infrastructure, while the technology itself is also being deployed to improve how Abu Dhabi monitors and operates its energy and water systems.
"Across Abu Dhabi's energy and water sectors, digital technologies, advanced analytics and artificial intelligence are improving visibility, supporting faster decisions and strengthening operational efficiency," Al Rumaithi said.
The emirate's previously announced investment of more than Dh300 billion in energy and water infrastructure over the coming decade provides the financial backdrop to that planning.
"Abu Dhabi is investing more than Dh300 billion in energy and water infrastructure over the next decade, alongside approximately Dh35 billion annually in sector development and operations," Al Rumaithi said.
The investment is intended to strengthen security of supply and keep infrastructure reliable, efficient and capable of supporting rising demand as Abu Dhabi expands its digital, industrial and urban economy, he added.
Planning for Connected Demand
The Department of Energy is treating electricity and water as parts of one connected system under its Strategic Framework for the Energy and Water Sector through the year 2050.
That approach brings generation, desalination, storage, cooling and digital infrastructure into the same long-term planning process, allowing the emirate to assess how rising demand in one area could affect capacity elsewhere.
"In Abu Dhabi, we plan energy and water as one integrated system because the performance of one directly affects the other," Al Rumaithi said.
The model becomes more relevant as Abu Dhabi's economy expands into sectors with heavy and sometimes simultaneous demands for electricity, cooling, water and digital connectivity.
AI infrastructure is one example. Data centres require reliable power at scale, while industrial development and new urban communities add their own requirements to the same networks.
By planning those systems together, Abu Dhabi can anticipate demand earlier and coordinate investment across electricity, water, cooling and digital infrastructure as development gathers pace.
Al Rumaithi explained that resilience also has to be built into infrastructure before any disruption occurs.
"Resilience is not built during disruption. It is built in the system by design, through early investment in infrastructure, governance and operational readiness," he said, adding that preparation carries an economic benefit as well.
Reliable power and water supplies reduce operational risk for companies and give investors greater certainty as Abu Dhabi develops sectors that depend on uninterrupted infrastructure.
"In Abu Dhabi, resilience is therefore not only an operational priority; it is also an economic advantage."
AI as Demand Driver and Operating Tool
While advanced technology is contributing to rising energy demand, Abu Dhabi is also deploying it inside its own energy and water systems to improve monitoring, planning and operational decisions.
"Technology is not an objective in itself. Its purpose is to improve system performance and public outcomes," Al Rumaithi said.
The Department's AD.WE platform, for example, integrates more than three billion data records from over 50 entities, giving regulators and operators access to a wider pool of information for faster, evidence-based decisions.
Innovation is also advancing reverse-osmosis desalination, wastewater reuse and next-generation clean-energy infrastructure, including projects combining solar generation with battery storage.
For the Department, however, human input is irreplaceable. Al Rumaithi stressed that greater use of AI does not remove human responsibility from the operation of services on which households and businesses depend.
"Technology strengthens insight and decision-making, but accountability for essential services must remain with people," he said.
Building Future-ready Workforce
As Abu Dhabi's energy and water networks become more digital and interconnected, the workforce required to operate them is also changing.
According to Rumaithi, the Department is investing in education, professional development, upskilling and knowledge exchange to prepare professionals for a sector increasingly reliant on AI, digital technologies, regulation and integrated system planning.
"The future of the energy and water sector will be shaped as much by people as by technology," he said, adding that expertise in AI, digital technologies, regulation and integrated system planning will be key to operating and improving these systems.
Over the coming years, Abu Dhabi plans to expand clean energy, improve efficiency, strengthen water resilience and deepen digital integration as demand from industry, population growth and the digital economy continues to develop.
The emirate also aims to share its experience and resilience frameworks internationally while ensuring its infrastructure continues to support economic opportunities and quality of life for future generations.
"Our vision is for Abu Dhabi to remain a global reference point for resilience by design," Al Rumaithi said. "The future will belong to economies that can combine resilience, efficiency and sustainable growth."
