ACWA Power Seals 27 Global Partnerships To Accelerate Green Hydrogen And Clean Energy Innovation

ACWA Power has successfully concluded its “Innovation Days 2026” event in Riyadh, marking an important step in Saudi Arabia’s push to become a global center for sustainable technology. The three-day event was held at “The Garage” in King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and brought together government officials, global research institutions, technology companies, and industry leaders. The main goal of the summit was to speed up innovation in clean energy and water desalination and move new ideas from research labs to real-world projects.

A key outcome of the event was the signing of 27 strategic partnership agreements with leading international institutions. These included well-known universities such as MIT, Stanford University, and China’s Tsinghua University. The partnerships focus on five main areas: green hydrogen, advanced desalination technologies, energy storage, industrial artificial intelligence, and the development of global innovation ecosystems. ACWA Power said these collaborations will help improve efficiency, reduce costs, and strengthen its global project portfolio.

Green hydrogen was one of the main focus areas of the event. ACWA Power signed agreements with companies such as Topsoe and Baker Hughes to work on advanced electrolysis systems and ammonia production technologies. These solutions are expected to support the scale-up of green hydrogen projects and make them more commercially viable. The company aims to play a leading role in the global green hydrogen market by investing early in new technologies.

Water desalination was another major theme. Partnerships with institutions such as UCLA and MIT will focus on developing new membrane technologies and batch reverse osmosis systems. These innovations aim to reduce energy use and operating costs while improving water recovery. ACWA Power sees advanced desalination as critical for water security, especially in regions facing water stress.

The event also highlighted the importance of long-duration energy storage and the use of artificial intelligence in power and water plants. AI-based solutions are expected to help optimize plant operations, improve performance, and reduce downtime across ACWA Power’s assets.

One of the major announcements during the summit was the expansion of “Innovation Days” to China. ACWA Power confirmed that the next edition will be held in Shanghai in October 2026. This move is aimed at leveraging China’s strengths in manufacturing and artificial intelligence to shorten the time needed to bring new technologies to market.

ACWA Power CEO Marco Arcelli said the event reflects Saudi Arabia’s role as a global testing ground for integrated energy solutions under Vision 2030. He added that the strong response to the event, which was heavily oversubscribed, shows growing global interest in collaboration and innovation. Through initiatives like Innovation Days, ACWA Power continues to strengthen its position in green hydrogen and sustainable infrastructure worldwide.