For decades, the world has looked to the Gulf for energy.

The more interesting question now is what the Gulf will build with it.

For OceanBlocks, the GCC is an initial focus for assessing energy and resource infrastructure opportunities. The question is broader than the future volume of any one fuel: how can regional resources, industrial experience and institutions support new productive capability?

The region's established energy industries offer a relevant starting point. That experience can now be applied to the requirements of each proposed lower-emissions product and infrastructure system.

A Region Fluent in Molecules

Industrial experience provides a foundation, but it is important to distinguish conventional trade from the much smaller market for lower-emissions products.

The IEA's 2026 hydrogen review describes the Middle East as accounting for around one-sixth of global hydrogen production and substantial trade in ammonia, urea and methanol. These are Middle East figures, not a separate statistical measure of the six GCC states. Nor are they measures of low-emissions trade alone (IEA 2026).

The relevance for development is the presence of industrial users, logistics and operating knowledge. That foundation does not remove the need to assess safety, infrastructure capacity, certification and delivered economics for a new supply chain.

A practical development approach identifies which capabilities are transferable and where new investment can add most. Certified lower-emissions products bring their own documentation and destination requirements, distinct from those of conventional products.

Distinct Strategies, Shared Direction

Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are distinct markets, not a single project jurisdiction. The following are selected examples of published strategies and announcements, not a comprehensive or progress assessment.

The UAE's official National Hydrogen Strategy sets production milestones of 1.4 million tonnes a year by 2031, 7.5 million by 2040 and 15 million by 2050. Its emphasis includes supply chains, hydrogen development areas and research capacity. The Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure's published Energy Strategy also targets more than 28 GW of installed clean-energy capacity by 2031. These national milestones set a clear long-term direction; they are distinct from measured production or completed capacity (UAE Government n.d.; MOEI n.d.).

Saudi Arabia provides a project-finance example. The IEA's Global Hydrogen Review 2023 identifies a large green-hydrogen project in Saudi Arabia as one of the few export-oriented hydrogen projects to have reached a final investment decision, with a reported cost of around US$8.5 billion and a 30-year offtake agreement secured for its low-emissions ammonia. That illustrates how commercial contracts and capital can be assembled around a proposed industrial asset; it should not be read as verification of current operating output (IEA 2023a).

In June 2023, the IEA described Oman's targets of at least 1 million tonnes a year of renewable hydrogen by 2030, up to 3.75 million by 2040 and up to 8.5 million by 2050. The report also noted land allocation and experience in LNG and ammonia exports. Those are the targets and conditions described in the 2023 report; current project timetables are best confirmed with official sources (IEA 2023b).

Qatar offers another starting point: an established gas-export economy alongside proposed solar and lower-carbon industrial investment. The US Energy Information Administration's 2025 country analysis lists the Dukhan solar project at 2,000 MW with a 2029 target date. The same analysis expects new industrial projects, including an ammonia plant, to raise domestic natural gas demand over the next few years. These are plans as published; current status is best confirmed with official sources, and no OceanBlocks involvement is implied (EIA 2025).

Bahrain and Kuwait should likewise be assessed on their own industrial requirements, resources and regulatory arrangements.

For a developer, the useful question is therefore which specific industrial need, location and counterparties justify the next stage of investigation.

The UAE as Convenor

The UAE has also played a convening role in the global conversation.

In 2023, Dubai hosted COP28, which concluded the first global stocktake under the Paris Agreement. The resulting decision calls on Parties to take actions towards achieving, at a global scale, a tripling of renewable energy capacity and a doubling of energy efficiency improvements by 2030 (UNFCCC n.d.).

The UAE's support for renewable energy beyond its borders gives another illustration of international reach. IRENA describes how the UAE anchored the IRENA/ADFD Project Facility with US$350 million of concessional finance, allocated in seven cycles that ran until 2020, with IRENA recommending projects and the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development making the final selection. The facility financed 26 renewable-energy projects in developing countries. These are financing-programme figures, not a measure of operating generation (IRENA n.d.).

ADGM and project-specific structuring

Long-lived infrastructure depends on workable contracts and clear legal arrangements. The location of the asset and the legal structure of the transaction are connected questions, but they are not identical.

ADGM's framework applies English common law within its legal system. This can be relevant to structuring and contractual choices. It does not replace project-country permits, local asset rights or transaction-specific advice; the appropriate entity, governing law and dispute-resolution arrangements must be assessed for each project (ADGM n.d.).

Institutional context should not be mistaken for company capability. Registration in a jurisdiction does not, by itself, establish operating permissions, regulated financial-services authorisation, investor endorsement or a project's bankability.

The commercial task is to use an appropriate framework for the actual activity while keeping responsibilities clear between the holding structure, project entities and delivery partners.

What the World Gets From the Gulf's Transition

The broader economic opportunity can be considered through three questions:

  • Can energy and resources support competitive industrial production or credible lower-emissions exports?
  • Can investment build lasting local capability?
  • Can engineering, manufacturing and commercial knowledge be developed and retained through workable partnerships?

For OceanBlocks, the GCC is a starting point for investigating those connections, not the boundary of the intended business. Any wider role will depend on credible local demand, suitable partners, technology rights and project-specific economics.

The regional opportunity is a reason to investigate. It is not a substitute for project evidence.

Forward-looking statements: This article refers to national targets and planned projects as published by official sources. Targets and timelines may change. The article reflects current views, is not a guarantee of future outcomes, and is not investment advice.

References

OceanBlocks Insights: Energy, markets and industrial value. Editorial edition 1.1. Figures retain their reporting periods. Forecasts, national targets and historical announcements are distinguished from realised outcomes.