# Dubai summit discussions connect green finance with grids, AI and water investment

> The 23 October WGES programme examined blended-finance risks, AI-enabled grid operations, GCC green debt, desalination and routes for scaling climate projects.

- Topic: Policy and regulation
- Subjects: Finance, Electricity, Artificial intelligence, Water, Energy storage
- Event date: 2026-10-22
- First published on EPC Feed: 2026-10-25T20:55:46.165Z
- Updated: 2026-10-25T20:55:46.165Z
- Countries: United Arab Emirates
- Page: https://epcfeed.com/news/dubai-wges-day-two-green-finance-grid-ai-water


## Key facts

- Summit date: 23 October 2026
- GCC ESG debt: Sukuk were cited as 44% of outstanding ESG-related issuance
- Water projection: Session cited global demand exceeding supply by 40% within a decade
- Investment estimate: Session cited about US$300bn for water investment; scope unspecified

The second day of the 12th World Green Economy Summit in Dubai took place on 22 October, according to the summit organiser DEWA. Its sessions covered green finance, climate resilience, AI for energy access and grid transformation, water technologies, clean-energy access and climate investment. Emirates News Agency’s account, published on 23 October, records discussions from the same second-day programme. The event reports describe panels and policy dialogue, not a project award, construction contract or binding government decision.

A blended-finance session identified high financing costs, limited data and insufficient project scale as barriers to private investment in sustainable projects. Participants discussed guarantees, insurance, public-private partnerships and blended finance as tools that can help manage project risk and attract capital. The discussion emphasised national strategies, measurable impact and taking proven approaches toward commercial viability. Neither account identifies a named project or a new financing commitment made at the summit.

In a session on AI and energy access, grid transformation and security, speakers discussed AI’s potential to optimise energy systems, integrate renewables and improve reliability. They also listed prerequisites for wider use: investment, modern infrastructure, reliable data, skilled workers, governance and international partnerships. Participants stressed affordability and access for developing countries. This was a discussion of enabling conditions; the summit accounts do not set a deployment target or identify a grid investment programme.

A GCC green-finance discussion cited sukuk as 44 percent of outstanding ESG-related debt issuance and called for harmonised taxonomies and independent verification to address greenwashing. WAM does not identify the underlying dataset or date for that figure, so it remains a statistic cited in the session rather than a new official market series. In a water session, speakers discussed sustainable desalination, operational improvement and the role of data and AI. They cited a projection that global water demand would exceed supply by 40 percent within a decade and an investment need of about US$300 billion, without specifying the estimates’ source or geographic scope.

The organiser’s account confirms the event dates and broader programme, while WAM supplies the selected session details and figures. The common thread was the gap between proposals and delivery: finance must address project risk, grids and data systems must be ready for digital tools, and water investments need skills and partnership frameworks. The sources announce no specific sponsor, technical design, procurement route, project cost or delivery schedule.

## Sources

1. [Second-day sessions of World Green Economy Summit 2026 explore ways to boost green finance](https://www.dewa.gov.ae/en/about-us/media-publications/latest-news/2026/10/second-day-sessions-of-world-green-economy-summit-2026-explore-ways-to-boost-green-finance). Government source, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), Published 2026-10-22, Read 2026-10-25.
2. [Second day of World Green Economy Summit 2026 explores ways to boost green finance](https://www.wam.ae/en/article/17hlhyp-second-day-world-green-economy-summit-2026-explore). Government source, Emirates News Agency, Published 2026-10-23, Read 2026-10-25.