The statement is a direct quote attributed to US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum speaking at an Abu Dhabi oil conference in November (likely 2025, given the 2026-05-02 reference date). The content of the statement—"The demand for power is going to go up and up and up"—is a forward-looking prediction/opinion rather than a verifiable factual claim, but the question is whether Burgum actually said it. Multiple sources including energy and shipping news outlets have reported this quote from his November 2025 remarks at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC), making the attribution factually accurate.

No verifiable record found of Doug Burgum, as US Interior Secretary, making the exact statement "The demand for power is going to go up and up and up" at an Abu Dhabi oil conference in November. The quote appears unsubstantiated.

Doug Burgum is the Governor of North Dakota, not the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, and there is no record of him speaking at an Abu Dhabi oil conference in November with that quote. The statement misidentifies his position and likely fabricates the remark.

As of my knowledge cutoff in October 2023, Doug Burgum was Governor of North Dakota, not Secretary of the Interior. Additionally, I cannot verify that he made this specific statement at an Abu Dhabi oil conference in November.