CERAWeek is one of the largest international energy sector conferences. Held in Houston, Texas it attracts attendees ranging from government officials, including heads of state, to regulatory representatives and industry leaders from across the globe.
Over the years, the event has welcomed top executives from the world’s largest economies, along with the leadership of major petroleum and renewable energy corporations.
Chaired by Pulitzer Prize-winning energy expert Daniel Yergin and other members of the Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA), the conference serves as a key platform for discussions on emerging trends and technologies in the energy sector.
With CERAWeek 2025 scheduled for 10-14 March, anticipation is growing around the event’s themes and discussions. This year’s agenda is expected to highlight the significance of hydrogen power, while the participation of MENA states is likely to reflect the region’s evolving role as an energy leader.
CERAWeek’s Influence on Energy Markets and the Growing Focus on Hydrogen
CERAWeek is widely regarded as one of the most important global conferences for executives across government, technology, energy, and finance. Beyond being a platform for discussions on energy markets, policy, climate change, and innovation, it has played a direct role in shaping industry decisions.
Over the years, major announcements on energy transition plans, hydrogen economies, carbon capture projects, and sustainable investments have been made during the conference. Its Innovation Agora has served as a launchpad for technological breakthroughs, allowing for new developments to gain both regulatory attention and investment.
One of the dominant themes this year will be hydrogen power. In 2024 alone, hydrogen has seen renewed interest, particularly in its cleaner production methods, with an increasing focus on blue and green hydrogen. While hydrogen can still be extracted from fossil fuels, a process that results in what is commonly referred to as ‘dirty’ hydrogen, the emphasis now is on sustainable alternatives.
Blue hydrogen is produced from natural gas, with carbon capture technology reducing emissions, whereas green hydrogen is created using renewable energy sources such as solar and wind to power electrolysers.
This method generates hydrogen without producing carbon emissions. The revived interest in green hydrogen stems from its potential to address one of the greatest barriers to reducing carbon emissions—the transport sector. Since transportation accounts for a significant share of global emissions, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles could provide a viable path to large-scale decarbonisation.
Despite the optimism surrounding hydrogen, challenges remain. Past efforts to scale hydrogen fuel have repeatedly faced setbacks due to inefficiencies and storage difficulties. Hydrogen’s low density makes transportation and storage particularly expensive, requiring complex solutions such as compression, liquefaction, and chemical storage.
While ongoing research suggests that large-scale hydrogen production from renewables is feasible, its adoption is expected to begin in niche markets where high levels of investment can support its development.
So far, limitations in efficiency and particularly, issues with storage have repeatedly caused previous endeavours to fail. However, ongoing research indicates that hydrogen production from renewable resources is feasible, starting out with adoption in niche markets with the ability to pump the large investment volumes required to make it work. Nevertheless, the adoption of hydrogen energy storage systems still faces economic challenges, mainly because of their high costs.
The economic feasibility of hydrogen varies significantly by region. In Europe and Asia, where hydrogen is already used in industrial applications, costs are lower due to a more developed market. However, in sectors such as heating and construction, hydrogen remains expensive, requiring further technological advancements to drive down costs.
Production methods also impact feasibility, as technologies such as biomass gasification, steam methane reforming, and electrolysis all have distinct resource inputs and byproducts that affect their economic viability.
This year’s discussions at CERAWeek will likely focus on how hydrogen can be integrated into existing power infrastructures, along with potential regulatory and financial mechanisms to accelerate adoption. Whether hydrogen will finally overcome the economic and logistical barriers that have previously stalled its progress remains to be seen, but commitments made at the conference will be an important indicator of its future trajectory.
MENA’s Role in Hydrogen’s Future
The MENA region has long been at the forefront of energy investments, offering vast potential for both economic returns and carbon emissions reductions. While the region’s energy sector has traditionally been dominated by oil and gas, several countries are now positioning themselves as key players in hydrogen production and exports.
In the past, major players in hydrogen fuel technology, such as Japanese firms and automakers like Toyota with its hydrogen-powered Mirai, struggled to achieve widespread adoption. Now, with global attention shifting back to hydrogen, the responsibility of driving innovation may fall to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, along with North African countries Morocco and Egypt.
Specifically, the World Economic Forum identifies several countries as ‘high-potentials’ for a hydrogen fuel boom. These are Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman and Qatar.
Several MENA nations, including Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, and Qatar, have been identified as high-potential leaders in hydrogen development.
North Africa is positioning itself as a major exporter of low-carbon hydrogen, leveraging its existing phosphorus fertiliser industry, renewable energy infrastructure, and natural gas pipelines such as the SoutH2Corridor and the Maghreb-Europe Gas Pipeline. While these assets could support hydrogen production and transportation, the extent to which they can be adapted for large-scale hydrogen exports remains uncertain.
On the Arabian Peninsula, states are leveraging their vast financial resources and existing oil and gas infrastructure to accelerate hydrogen development. Saudi Arabia, in particular, has emerged as one of the most ambitious investors in the sector.
In addition to its previously announced NEOM Green Hydrogen Project, the country’s Public Investment Fund has pledged an additional $10 billion towards green hydrogen production. The Saudi government has also signed agreements with international energy firms to develop large-scale hydrogen projects, aiming to become a leading global supplier in the coming decades.
Although large-scale results are still years away, the long-term potential of these projects is considerable. Research analyst Daniel Burge has said:
“Saudi Arabia’s investments in green hydrogen production will contribute significantly to scaling the wider market, with the Kingdom expected to produce the majority of the Middle East’s forecast 2.4 million tons of green hydrogen by 2027.”
For the Middle East region as a whole excluding North Africa, the potential share of the global green hydrogen supply is estimated to be at 14 percent by 2035.
The success of these hydrogen projects will depend on continued financial backing and technological advancements. At CERAWeek 2025, discussions may well focus on the MENA region’s role in global hydrogen exports and whether the region’s vast energy resources can provide the necessary stability to make hydrogen a mainstream energy source.
What to Expect from CERAWeek 2025
This year’s conference will be particularly significant for those following developments in hydrogen technology and investment strategies. Although hydrogen has faced slow progress and previous setbacks, it still holds the potential to be a game-changer in the global energy transition—if key technological and economic challenges can be addressed.
While it is unlikely that CERAWeek will produce an immediate technological breakthrough, the event will set the industry’s strategic direction. The most crucial outcomes to watch for will be major commitments from governments and industry leaders.
Policy shifts and financial pledges announced during the conference will provide valuable insight into how seriously hydrogen is being considered as part of the future energy mix. A hydrogen-powered future remains a possibility, but the industry must first overcome barriers related to cost, storage, and efficiency.
If these challenges can be addressed, hydrogen could play a central role in reducing carbon emissions across energy-intensive sectors. The discussions and commitments made at CERAWeek 2025 will be a critical step in determining whether hydrogen can finally move beyond its past limitations and become a viable global energy solution.
By: Omar Ahmed