Centuries ago, long before the first oil derrick broke the horizon, the Kingdom of Hormuz was the world’s beating heart. From the 11th to the 17th century, the scent of cloves and the ring of silver were all too familiar to this commercial hub, with merchants from Asia, Africa and Europe trading not just in goods but also in co-existence. It was an open system, much like what we see in the UAE today.
The Strait of Hormuz is a global bridge that has survived every empire that tried to claim it. While this zone is often viewed through the narrow lens of transit, we in the UAE have the opportunity to reclaim its transformative legacy by developing systems and partnerships that bind the region around it together, placing connectivity at the centre of its development.
This is being done by designing a new energy architecture. Energy follows the same logic that once shaped the ancient spice routes. It sustains communities through networks built on trust. As we move towards a new era, the resources themselves are changing from the traditional to the transformative.
In the UAE, our leadership in peaceful nuclear energy through the Barakah power plant and our pioneering steps into the hydrogen economy represent more than technical shifts. These advances build upon our traditional strengths, requiring an even more sophisticated level of partnership and systemic integration.
New energy forms depend on integrated grids and long-term co-ordination, and I saw first-hand at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in January a shared desire to build these systems. Progress takes root when governments and operators move with a collective sense of responsibility.
For decades, the world has looked at the Strait of Hormuz and seen a corridor for movement. That continuity remains, but what is being built around it is an integrated destiny. Across the Arabian Gulf, countries are linking infrastructure into frameworks that are resilient precisely because they are connected.
We see this shift in concrete terms through the GCC Interconnection Authority, which binds the member states’ regional power grids into a single, reliable network. Modern infrastructure is the physical manifestation of this co-ordination. In this approach, energy is sustained through systems designed collectively and supported continuously, ensuring that the lights stay on across borders through shared strength.
Connection is about filling space more than it is about simply laying cable or pouring concrete.
Long, unforgiving history shows us that where co-ordination weakens, a vacuum is inevitably created. We know all too well what fills a vacuum when the lines of partnership are blurred. It is in these gaps that the informal and the unstable take root, be it the disruption of maritime lanes or the emergence of actors who thrive only in the absence of a system.
As EU ambassador to the UAE Lucie Berger and Dr Mohammed Ibrahim Al Dhaheri recently observed in these pages, when energy is weaponised, the answer is to diversify. This perspective defines how the UAE approaches energy today. And so, by building large-scale solar infrastructure, for example, companies like the Global South Utilities are creating avenues for collaboration that secure economic resilience even during periods of crisis.
In times of regional tension, our resolve only deepens; these moments serve to strengthen our commitment to bilateral co-operation. When we share a grid, we share a future. We are ensuring that the security of supply remains a certainty, anchored by a collective architecture designed to withstand every storm.
This is a pattern that is echoed across the world’s strategic waterways. From the Strait of Malacca to the North Sea, the lesson remains clear: energy systems take shape where partnership holds.
This is particularly evident across the Global South. In African markets, the UAE’s engagement has been defined by a long-term presence and a commitment to delivery. Whether it is large-scale solar infrastructure or regional wind projects, the most enduring work is that which begins with a handshake and a shared stake in the outcome.
The Strait of Hormuz carries meaning that is far broader than its geography. It remains a corridor of transit, yes, but it is also the centrepiece of a region shaped by transformation. What passes through the water reflects our present needs. But what is being built on the shores – the grids, the peaceful nuclear plants, the solar farms and the hydrogen hubs – reflects what comes next.
In this alignment between movement and growth, partnership remains the defining strength of the system. The UAE is helping to build a future that is as enduring as the history that precedes it.
