For half a century, 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. Their experience must still be matched 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 credible regional strategy should identify which capabilities are transferable and which require new investment. Familiarity with a conventional product does not establish readiness to sell a certified lower-emissions version into every destination.

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 assessment or confirmation that targets have been delivered.

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 are policy ambitions, not measured production or completed capacity (UAE Government n.d.; MOEI n.d.).

Saudi Arabia provides a project-finance example through the May 2023 NEOM Green Hydrogen Company announcement. Its US$8.4 billion financial close included a long-term offtake arrangement. That announcement 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 (ACWA Power 2023).

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 that dated assessment, not a fresh certification that every project remains on its original timetable (IEA 2023).

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. Separately, QAFCO's August 2022 QAFCO-7 announcement projected annual sales of 1.2 million tonnes from its proposed blue-ammonia facility at Mesaieed. These sources describe plans; they do not establish current completion, achieved sales or OceanBlocks involvement (EIA 2025; QAFCO 2022).

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

For a developer, the useful comparison is therefore not whose headline target is largest. It is 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.).

Masdar's January 2026 announcement gives another illustration of international reach. It reported a 65 GW renewable-energy portfolio, including 45 GW operational, under construction or committed and 20 GW in advanced pipeline, against a 100 GW target for 2030. Portfolio capacity is not the same as operating generation. The announcement also described investment in more than 40 countries since 2006 (Masdar 2026).

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 useful local capability rather than remain an announced capital total?
  • 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.