29/09/2026
GOTECH 2026 OPENS IN DUBAI: GLOBAL ENERGY LEADERS CONVERGE TO SHAPE THE FUTURE OF ENERGY
Dubai, UAE 29 September 2026: The global energy industry has turned its attention to Dubai as GOTECH 2026 officially commenced today at the Dubai World Trade Centre, bringing together senior energy executives, technology leaders, engineers, researchers, innovators and industry professionals for three days of high-level conversations, technical exchange and technology-driven solutions.
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Running from 29 September to 1 October 2026, GOTECH 2026 is being held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy. The conference is centred on the theme “Energising the Future through Leadership, Innovation, Sustainability, AI, and Talent.”
The official programme describes GOTECH 2026 as a meeting point between *bold ideas and real-world impact*, with executive plenaries, technical presentations, technology showcases, an exhibition and a Startup Zone bringing emerging technologies and established energy players together.
A POWERFUL OPENING FOR GOTECH 2026
The opening day has already demonstrated the breadth of leadership represented at the conference.
Among the highlights is the CEO Plenary, which brings together major figures from across the international energy landscape, including Dr. Carole Nakhle, CEO of Crystol Energy; Sara Akbar, CEO of OiLSERV Kuwait; Dr. Ahmed Mohamed Alebri, CEO of ADNOC Onshore; Abdulkarim AlMaazmi, CEO of Dragon Oil; H.E. Khamis Al Mazroui, CEO of Sharjah National Oil Corporation (SNOC); and Song Yu, Executive Chairman of United Energy Group.
The composition of the panel is significant because it brings together perspectives from different parts of the energy value chain and different energy-producing regions.
Their discussions focus on issues at the heart of the industry's future: leadership, innovation, energy transformation, investment, technology and the changing global energy landscape.
LEADERSHIP THAT LOOKS BEYOND TODAY
Another major feature highlighted in the conference communications is the keynote address delivered by H.E. Saeed Mohammed Ahmed Al Tayer, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and Chairman of ENOC Group and Dragon Oil.
The keynote places emphasis on the importance of innovation, global collaboration and visionary leadership in accelerating progress toward a more sustainable energy future.
This message fits directly into the broader direction of GOTECH 2026: the energy industry is not simply discussing how to produce more energy, but increasingly how technology, leadership and innovation can change the way energy is discovered, produced, managed and consumed.
THE CASPIAN AND CENTRAL ASIAN ENERGY STORY TAKES CENTRE STAGE
One of the major executive conversations on today's programme is the plenary titled:
“CIS as Emerging Powerhouse”
The session examines the growing significance of the Caspian and Central Asian region within the global energy system.
It brings together Oumer Tahir of Hunting Energy Services, Alexis Devis of Baker Hughes, Roman Filimonov of Rystad Energy, Ismadi Bin Ismail of PETRONAS Turkmenistan, Michel Khammo of Dragon Oil Turkmenistan, and Jodi Wood of SLB.
The discussion reflects an increasingly interconnected energy world, where developments across the Caspian, Central Asia, Middle East and wider global market can have implications for energy security, investment, infrastructure, technology and future production.
BEYOND EXECUTIVE SPEECHES: TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION
GOTECH 2026 is not structured simply as a leadership conference.
The technical programme demonstrates an extensive focus on the practical application of emerging technologies. Today's sessions include topics covering:
* AI for sustainable reservoir performance
* Innovations in exploration and production
* Innovative drilling solutions
* Smart design and optimisation for surface facilities and pipelines
* Reservoir characterisation
* Emerging well and geothermal technologies
* Commercialising marginal and mature assets
* Talent management and skills development
* Operational innovation
The programme also includes an exhibition and knowledge-sharing ePoster sessions designed to facilitate direct interaction between technical professionals and presenters.
This combination of executive leadership and technical depth is one of the defining features of GOTECH 2026.
AI IS MOVING FROM CONVERSATION TO INFRASTRUCTURE
Artificial intelligence is particularly prominent throughout the three-day programme.
Sessions scheduled during the conference address AI for sustainable reservoir performance, AI applications in well construction, real-time AI for production optimisation, predictive integrity, autonomous detection and AI as operational infrastructure.
This reflects a wider shift in the energy sector; from viewing AI primarily as an experimental or specialist technology toward integrating intelligent systems into operations, asset management, production optimisation, integrity management and decision-making.
For engineers and energy professionals, this creates an important professional-development message: understanding the traditional fundamentals of petroleum and energy engineering increasingly needs to be complemented by competence in data, automation, AI and digital technologies.
SUSTAINABILITY AND ENERGY TRANSITION REMAIN CENTRAL
While hydrocarbons remain a major focus of GOTECH, the conference programme also shows a strong emphasis on sustainability and the energy transition.
Topics across the programme include carbon management, CCUS, methane detection and emissions reduction, geothermal technologies and sustainable reservoir performance.
A later fireside chat titled “Methane: From Detection to Action” will examine how improved data, AI, field measurement and surveillance technologies can support operational performance and emissions management.
The programme therefore presents the energy transition not simply as a question of replacing one energy source with another, but also as a question of making existing energy systems smarter, more efficient, measurable and responsible while developing new technologies.
TALENT: THE HUMAN SIDE OF THE ENERGY TRANSFORMATION
Technology may be at the centre of GOTECH 2026, but people remain equally important.
The programme includes a dedicated session examining talent, diversity and inclusion and the redefining of skills for the digital economy, including the balance between automation and human creativity and strategies for attracting and retaining talent.
This is particularly relevant to students, young professionals and experienced engineers alike.
The energy professional of the future will increasingly need to combine technical expertise, digital literacy, adaptability, innovation and leadership.
A GLOBAL ENERGY CONVERSATION FROM DUBAI
The significance of GOTECH 2026 extends beyond the conference venue.
Its programme brings together organisations and professionals connected to major energy markets and technology ecosystems, including ADNOC, Dragon Oil, Baker Hughes, SLB, Halliburton, Rystad Energy, PETRONAS, United Energy Group, Weatherford and others.
The conference is consequently creating a platform where conversations about the future of energy can move across organisational, geographical and technical boundaries.
And that is perhaps the most compelling feature of the event: the future of energy is being discussed not from a single perspective, but through the interaction of executives, engineers, technology companies, researchers, policymakers and emerging innovators.
THREE DAYS. ONE INDUSTRY. A FUTURE BEING BUILT.
As GOTECH 2026 begins in Dubai, the message emerging from its opening programme is clear: the energy industry is entering a period in which leadership, technology, sustainability, artificial intelligence and human talent are increasingly interconnected.
From CEO boardrooms to technical sessions, from AI and digitalisation to drilling and reservoir engineering, from methane management to CCUS and from mature-field optimisation to the next generation of energy technologies, the conference is examining the practical questions that will shape the industry's next chapter.
GOTECH 2026 is therefore more than a gathering of energy professionals. It is a forum for examining how today's technologies and decisions can influence tomorrow's energy landscape.
And with two more days of executive discussions, technical presentations, exhibitions and innovation still ahead, Dubai has become a meeting point for one of the world's most consequential industrial conversations: how to energise the future.
GOTECH 2026
📍 Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai, UAE
📅 29 September – 1 October 2026
🎯 Theme: Energising the Future through Leadership, Innovation, Sustainability, AI, and Talent
⚡ Bold Ideas. Real Impact.
Insight Global Training Academy IGTA
THREE DAYS. ONE INDUSTRY. A FUTURE BEING BUILT. As GOTECH 2026 begins in Dubai, the message emerging from its opening programme is clear: the energy industry is entering a period in which leadership, technology, sustainability, artificial intelligence and human talent are increasingly interconnected...
