Adnoc and partners approve $6.2 billion Umm Shaif gas cap project, targeting 600 million cubic feet per day by 2030

The Umm Shaif gas cap development

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) and its partners will invest $6.2 billion to develop the gas cap at the Umm Shaif field, its longest-operating offshore oil and gasfield. The project will unlock more than 600 million standard cubic feet per day of natural gas and associated gas liquids, according to Adnoc. Financing has been arranged, and first production is targeted for 2030.

Partners and production scale

Adnoc is joined by TotalEnergies SE, Eni SpA and China National Petroleum Corp. in the development. The new output will add to Adnoc's current gas production capacity of as much as 11.5 billion cubic feet per day. The Umm Shaif project is the first time Adnoc has invested in one of its so-called gas caps, with a larger Bab Gas Gap project (1.5 billion cubic feet per day) still in planning without a financing deal.

UAE's drive for gas self-sufficiency

The development is central to the UAE's goal of achieving gas self-sufficiency by the end of the decade. Around a third of the country's gas needs are currently met by pipeline imports from Qatar under the Dolphin agreement, which expires in 2032. Political tensions between the two countries raise the risk of an abrupt halt to Qatari flows, and the 2030 start of Umm Shaif production is timed to reduce that reliance.

Export ambitions and the LNG build-out

Alongside domestic supply, Adnoc is expanding its liquefied natural gas export capacity. A plant at Ruwais, already under construction, will almost treble its LNG capacity to 9.6 million tonnes per year by 2028. The company is also reportedly considering building another LNG plant in Fujairah, on the UAE's Indian Ocean coast, which would be less exposed to Strait of Hormuz shipping disruptions than its Gulf facilities.

reinforcing Adnoc's position as a reliable gas supplier.

Sultan al-Jaber, Adnoc's chief executive, said the gas strategy was underpinned by surging global demand for LNG. Since the UAE left OPEC in May, Adnoc no longer faces oil output limits and can also invest in expanding its oil production without constraints. The Umm Shaif gas cap will produce a small amount of oil alongside gas.

Timeline of milestones