Abu Dhabi National Oil Company will invest $6.2bn to develop the gas cap above its longest‑running offshore field, Umm Shaif, alongside Total Energies, Eni and China National Petroleum Corporation. The project will deliver more than 600 mn cf/d of natural gas, adding to Adnoc’s current capacity of 11.5 bn cf/d. Chief executive Sultan al‑Jaber said the move reinforces Adnoc’s position as a reliable gas supplier.

The UAE aims to become gas self‑sufficient by the end of the decade as its pipeline imports from Qatar, which supply about a third of domestic needs, expire in 2032 amid political tensions. The Umm Shaif gas cap is slated to start up in 2030. At the same time, Adnoc is building a 9.6 mn tpa LNG plant at Ruwais that will almost treble export capacity by 2028 and is studying a second plant in Fujairah to reduce exposure to Strait of Hormuz disruptions.

This marks Adnoc’s first investment in a gas cap; a larger 1.5 bn cf/d Bab Gas Gap project with majors including BP remains unfunded. Wood Mackenzie analyst Fraser McKay warned that tapping a gas cap early is a complex engineering challenge because gas extraction can lower reservoir pressure and cut oil output. Since the UAE left OPEC in May, Adnoc can expand oil production without quota constraints, supporting its broader gas‑growth strategy.