OPES 2025 Brand Ambassador Interview - Dr. Adil Al Busaidi

Dr. Adil Al Busaidi is the Principal Sustainability & New Technology Specialist at Daleel Petroleum LLC, where he leads the company’s initiatives in sustainable development and technological innovation. Holding a robust academic background—including a PhD, MBA, MSc, and BEng—Dr. Al Busaidi applies multidisciplinary expertise to drive energy transition, circular economy frameworks, and efficiency optimization within Oman’s upstream oil sector

1. What inspired you to be part of the OPES 2025 journey as a Brand Ambassador?

OPES is a platform for the energy industry where you can learn, network and make business. It is also a platform to contribute to the sector be it through knowledge sharing, panel discussion or one to one discussion. It is also the place where one can comprehend the direction of the energy sector in Oman through the engagement with the policy makers and industry key players.

2. Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you got involved in the energy sector?

I have been sponsored by PDO to study electrical engineering straight after my secondary school. I worked for PDO in the power system for about 6 years and then worked for the national grid for about 6 years, then moved back to oil and gas and currently working for Daleel Petroleum as Sustainability and New technology specialist.

The electrical engineering actually linked me with the energy system. I participated in Thanfeeth 2018 energy lab and then in the Carbon Management lab in 2022. From there my interest in energy and decarbonisation has grown up. Then I decided to study Master degree in Energy, Environmental Technology and Economic in the UK at City University of London. Currently doing my dissertation in Nuclear Power Generation Policitcs and Economics trying to draw a case for Oman.

3. What does energy mean to you personally—beyond the technical definition?

To me and to many other, as rightly so, energy means economy and prosperity. There is no healthy economy without secure, affordable and sustainable source of energy. There is a strong link between the wellbeing of the society and the energy resource.

4. How is Oman uniquely positioned in the global energy landscape?

Oman is blessed with many energy resources. Oil and gas has been the main driver of the economic development in oman and will continue playing its important roles for decades to come. However, since it is a finite resource and also responsible for most of the human activity emissions, it is wise to start the investments in other sustainable low carbon resources like wind, solar and possibly nuclear. We need to have a balance mix of energy that is optimum to Oman context. We have plenty of sunshine and good onshore wind resource, so those are priority one. However, we will need to complement them with good amount of base load generation and

dispatchable generation to ensure we rig through the night when there is no sunshine or when wind is not blowing. Energy storage becomes and important player as well as other options like nuclear power generation and gas turbines with Carbone Capture. The percentage of energy mix is context driven and vary from one country to another. There will be a need to model the Oman energy system and optimise these percentages to meet the NZE target by 2050. That is the role of the policy maker.

5. How do you plan to use your platform as a Brand Ambassador to engage the wider community?

In fact, I have been engaging with the public through conference participation, posts through linkein account and research papers that I participate in. However, being an ambassador made me more visible and has added more credibility to my profile. It also helped me to reach a wider audience.

6. How can industry leaders balance sustainability with profitability?

Part of sustainability is the economic sustainability. Hence, profitability is a derivative of sustainability. It all boils down to having the right priority. There are many initiatives that saves money and saves the environment like energy efficiency and recycling. Hence, we should start with these first. There are new technologies that saves the environment but are expensive for the time being, then we need to keep them for future as normally technology get cheaper by time for obvious reasons. Hence, I personally don’t see a contradiction between trying to be sustainable and profitable; it is a matter of prioritisation of initiatives.

7. What advice would you give to young professionals entering the oil and gas or energy space?

My advise for young professionals is keep themselves updated and get the wider picture of energy. For example, you can be an electrical engineer but you need to know what is coming up to the grid in terms of electrification so you will comprehend the size of challenges ahead.

By having different skills, you can assume different roles and contribute more to your society.

8. In one word, how would you describe the future of energy in the region?

Bright

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