ADNOC ready to push UAE oil capacity beyond 5m bpd target

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ADNOC ready to push UAE oil capacity beyond 5m bpd target

May 12, 2026

DUBAI,— ADNOC Drilling is prepared to help raise the United Arab Emirates’ oil production capacity beyond its current 5 million barrels per day target by 2027 if approved by authorities, the company’s chief financial officer told Reuters on Tuesday.

“We are ready to deliver whatever production capacity ADNOC requires,” Youssef Salem said in an interview, referring to the state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.

The UAE left OPEC on May 1 to free itself from production quotas and could increase capacity to as much as 6 million barrels per day if needed, Energy Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei said last year.

ADNOC Drilling has moved ahead of national expansion plans, operating 142 rigs by 2025, above a prior target of 127 rigs set for 2030, Salem said.

The company said it works with multiple suppliers from China and other countries to secure rigs and relies on technology partnerships with Baker Hughes, Schlumberger, Patterson and others.

Salem added that internal teams and collaborations allow it to meet demand, noting higher first-quarter well deliveries compared with a year earlier.

The Abu Dhabi-listed firm said it has not been affected by recent shipping disruptions or regional tensions linked to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

Salem said all rigs continued operating and fleet availability held at 98% during the quarter.

To reduce exposure to the Strait of Hormuz, ADNOC Drilling uses overland transport routes, the eastern port of Fujairah and maintains a two- to three-month inventory buffer.

ADNOC Upstream chief Musabbeh al-Kaabi told Reuters this month the company expects a final investment decision this year on an unconventional gas project with TotalEnergies, followed by a decision on an unconventional oil project with EOG Resources and Petronas.

Drilling activity is expanding in support of these plans, with nearly 100 first-phase wells completed and more than 60 hydraulically fractured.

The entry of EOG into the oil project after early results was described as a positive signal.

(With files from Reuters)