Middle East Energy 2026: France Backs the Gulf’s Drive for Smarter, More Resilient Power Grids

Dubai, United Arab Emirates – From 1 to 3 September 2026, France will participate in Middle East Energy 2026 at the Dubai World Trade Centre. Through a dedicated Business France Pavilion, 13 French companies will exhibit at the Business France Pavilion at Middle East Energy 2026, as the landmark event marks its 50th edition at Dubai World Trade Centre. The delegation will showcase technologies supporting the Gulf’s rapidly evolving power systems, from grid resilience and smart infrastructure to energy efficiency, critical power and renewable-energy integration.

The French delegation arrives at a pivotal moment for the region’s energy sector. Across the GCC, rising electricity demand, renewable deployment and increasingly digital economies are shifting attention towards the infrastructure required to deliver secure, flexible and reliable power. In the UAE, the updated Energy Strategy 2050 foresees AED 150–200 billion in investment by 2030, while opportunities continue to expand across smart grids, storage, digitalisation and sustainable infrastructure, areas where French companies bring established industrial and technological expertise.

The Gulf’s Energy Transition Moves to the Grid 

As electricity demand rises and renewable capacity expands, transmission, interconnection and grid flexibility are becoming increasingly strategic across the GCC. 

One major development is the GCC Interconnection Authority’s direct interconnection project between Oman and the GCC grid. The project includes approximately 530 kilometers of 400 kV transmission lines connecting Oman directly to the regional network, strengthening the infrastructure for greater electricity exchange and system resilience across the Gulf.

In Dubai, DEWA is investing AED 7 billion in its Smart Grid Programme through 2035, deploying digital technologies, automation and data-driven systems to enhance network reliability, efficiency and renewable-energy integration.

The regional shift reflects a wider global challenge. According to the International Energy Agency’s Electricity 2026 report, annual investment in electricity grids will need to increase by around 50% by 2030 from today's approximately USD 400 billion to meet growing electricity demand. Grid resilience, flexibility and security are therefore moving to the centre of energy strategies worldwide.

France and the UAE Deepen a Strategic Energy Partnership

The French Pavilion also reflects the growing strategic partnership between France and the UAE in energy, innovation and sustainable development. The UAE is France’s first customer in the Gulf, and bilateral trade reached EUR 10.8 billion in 2025, up from EUR 8.5 billion in 2024 and EUR 7.4 billion in 2023. The two countries continue to deepen collaboration in strategic sectors including energy transition, climate action, advanced technologies and artificial intelligence. In February 2025, Masdar, TotalEnergies and 2PointZero signed a Framework for Action to expand clean-energy access in emerging markets, under the umbrella of the UAE–France High-Level Business Council; the same source notes that the two countries have maintained a Comprehensive Strategic Energy Partnership since 2022.

French Technologies for More Resilient and Connected Energy Systems

At Middle East Energy 2026, the French delegation will showcase technologies addressing four critical components of tomorrow’s power infrastructure:

Grid protection and resilience – CITEL-2CP, FRANCE PARATONNERRES, INDELEC, OBSTA and SERGI TRANSFORMER PROTECTOR will present technologies covering surge and lightning protection, transformer explosion and fire prevention, aviation obstruction lighting and critical-infrastructure risk mitigation.

Measurement, supervision and automation – CHAUVIN ARNOUX MIDDLE EAST / CHAUVIN ARNOUX ENERGY, AOIP and STRATON AUTOMATION will showcase solutions for electrical-network metering and monitoring, test and measurement, calibration and industrial automation.

Power distribution and network infrastructure – MICHAUD EXPORT, TRANSALPES COMPOSITE and SOC EXPL GENERAL PRODUITS INDUSTRIELS will bring expertise in low-voltage distribution networks, network supports and dielectric and insulating industrial solutions.

Critical power and energy systems – ENERSYS, INFOSEC UPS SYSTEM and TERRACOTTA will contribute expertise spanning batteries, chargers, uninterruptible power supplies, power equipment and regional energy-sector implementation.

Together, the delegation illustrates France’s ability to contribute across the power value chain, from protecting physical assets and monitoring networks to automating infrastructure and securing critical power supply. These capabilities directly address the Gulf’s growing need for reliable, interconnected and increasingly intelligent energy systems.