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Conflict in the Middle East is disrupting global energy markets and keeping oil prices above $100 a barrel, AnewZ reported. At ADIPEC 2026, energy companies discussed ways to increase supplies, attract investment and use artificial intelligence.
Panel discussions, roundtables and exhibitions were held on the second day of the four-day International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference, which runs through November 5. Organizers expect more than 239,000 visitors from over 170 countries and a record 2,260 companies to take part this year.
Practical applications of AI discussed
Artificial intelligence was one of the event’s main themes. A panel on “Investment priorities in artificial intelligence” examined how companies are applying the technology in the energy sector, while a roundtable on competitiveness considered the industry’s shifting priorities.
Industry executives said the digitalization phase was largely complete and companies were now moving toward practical applications of AI. They also said attention was growing on reliable communications and resilient local supply chains.
Omar Al Busaydi, who oversees a pipe manufacturer’s operations in the UAE and Oman, told the panel: “Artificial intelligence should not replace industrial knowledge; it should strengthen it.” He added that the technology’s main potential lay in helping people make better decisions while improving the industry’s efficiency, resilience and sustainability.
His comments echoed a broader view expressed by the UAE’s Dr. Sultan Al Jaber. Al Jaber said that after ChatGPT emerged, the world had asked what energy could do for artificial intelligence, but the question now was what artificial intelligence could do for energy.
A satellite communications representative said AI-powered operations increasingly depended on real-time monitoring of offshore facilities, including oil fields, platforms and accommodation barges.
Demand for reliable communications is expected to grow as the UAE expands its use of AI, digital services and digital oil fields. The representative said communications were essential both for day-to-day operations and as a backup to ensure business continuity.
He explained that operators were combining satellite, 4G and 5G networks in hybrid systems. Centralized software automatically redirects critical data flows to another channel when the primary connection weakens, helping operations continue.
The ADIPEC 2026 conference was held on November 3, 2026, in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
SOCAR explores partnership opportunities
Emissions reduction was also on the agenda. A presentation titled “Deploying scalable carbon capture and utilization technologies for post-combustion CO₂ emissions” examined the practical use of carbon capture systems.
Azerbaijan is taking part in the exhibition with a large national pavilion and delegation. State energy company SOCAR is meeting potential partners and exchanging expertise with international companies. New agreements are expected to be signed during the exhibition.
Iraq’s RQC (Rowwad al-Qemmah) company also presented its operations at the exhibition. It describes itself as Iraq’s first private company specializing in the integrated management, operation and maintenance of oil refineries.
The company’s marketing director told the UAE’s WAM news agency that ADIPEC provided an opportunity to connect with Arab and international companies, identify investment opportunities and build strategic partnerships that could support access to new markets.
RQC operates the Karbala refinery, one of Iraq’s and the Middle East’s largest. The marketing director said the refinery’s operating rate had exceeded 102% of capacity and that the facility had been running continuously for two years. The refinery’s operations rely entirely on Iraqi specialists and workers.
RQC said it was using ADIPEC 2026 to showcase Iraq’s energy potential and strengthen international confidence in its technical expertise. The marketing director recalled that Iraq’s oil industry dates back to 1921, adding that the country’s companies and specialists were capable of operating energy facilities efficiently and contributing to projects in the region and beyond.
The exhibition also serves as a platform for attracting investment to the Arab energy sector and strengthening ties among regional and international companies, institutions and policymakers.
Geopolitical risks affect oil prices
Beyond the exhibition halls, geopolitical tensions continue to shape the outlook for energy markets. Brent crude traded at about $106 a barrel on Tuesday. Prices fell more than 6% on Monday amid signs of diplomatic contacts between Washington and Tehran.
Brent settled at $113.43 on Friday, Reuters reported. Prices topped $116 in late October and rose by about 13% over the month.
Analysts attribute much of the increase to a geopolitical risk premium linked to the conflict. One estimate put that premium at $27 a barrel by the end of last week; after Monday’s price decline, about $20 of it remained in the price.
Goldman Sachs raised its Brent forecast for December to $90 from $85, citing geopolitical risks that had added slightly more than $20 to the price.
The conflict, which began on February 28 with US and Israeli military operations against Iran, has put the Strait of Hormuz at the center of concerns about global energy security. The waterway carries about one-fifth of the world’s daily energy shipments.
Iran proposed an agreement, mediated by Qatar, that could allow the strait to reopen, but Washington did not accept the terms. Reports of new strikes have added to market volatility. OPEC+ kept oil output unchanged for December, with its next meeting scheduled for November 29.
Rising tensions between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi movement have heightened concerns about regional energy supplies. Although the sides have largely observed an informal ceasefire since 2022, tensions rose again after the Houthis fired missiles at Saudi Arabia in July and announced a naval blockade targeting the country’s vessels.
The Houthi leader said Saudi oil facilities would become targets if Riyadh became more involved in the conflict. The Houthis later claimed responsibility for attacks on Aramco facilities in Jizan and Yanbu on the Red Sea coast, as well as on tankers linked to the kingdom.
Yanbu is particularly important as the endpoint of the East-West pipeline, which enables Saudi oil to reach the Red Sea without passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Disruptions to shipping in the Gulf have made the kingdom more dependent on this alternative route.
Forces backed by Saudi Arabia responded with airstrikes on Houthi positions. At least 60 soldiers in Saudi-backed Yemeni forces were killed in attacks in the Marib and Hadhramaut regions on August 6.
Violence escalated further in October, with strikes reaching airports and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia. At least four people were killed on one evening when attacks took place. According to Saudi officials, debris from an intercepted drone killed two people and injured two others at an Aramco-operated oil field in the country’s southeast.
The United States ordered non-essential diplomatic staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia. Reports said Aramco was relocating employees. Lufthansa and Air France also canceled flights to Riyadh through mid-November.
Disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz and the blockade in the Red Sea are putting pressure on global energy security, threatening not only oil and gas supplies but also the shipping networks needed to transport them. Against this backdrop, the ADIPEC Strategic Conference discussed ways to strengthen global logistics and supply chains and maintain trade amid geopolitical instability.
