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7 billion barrels of oil found in new Abu Dhabi reserves; UAE in 6th position in global oil reserves

News Network
November 5, 2019

Abu Dhabi, Nov 5: The UAE’s Supreme Petroleum Council on Monday announced a new pricing mechanism for ADNOC Murban crude, which will be listed on “an exchange,” and also announced a major increases in Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas reserves.

During the meeting held at ADNOC headquarters, the Council revealed the discovery of new hydrocarbon reserves estimated at 7 billion barrels of crude oil and 58 trillion standard cubic feet of conventional gas, putting the UAE in the sixth place in terms of global oil and gas reserves, with a total reserves of 105 billion barrels and 273 trillion cubic feet of conventional gas.

Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and ADNOC Group CEO, has said that support of the UAE’s leadership is enabling ADNOC to accelerate the pace of its ongoing transformation into a more commercially-driven and customer-focused integrated energy company with global reach.

Speaking following the Supreme Petroleum Council, SPC, meeting, Dr. Al Jaber, said, "Following the leadership’s wise directives, ADNOC is adopting more creative strategies and more flexible business models, while shaping value-add partnership opportunities to remain resilient and meet operational and financial targets in today’s unpredictable energy markets, as we deliver our 2030 strategy."

The SPC meeting was presided over by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Vice-Chairman of the SPC.

Sheikh Mohamed highlighted ADNOC’s ongoing transformation into a more performance-led and commercially-driven organisation and emphasised the central role ADNOC plays in enabling the UAE’s economic ambitions. He expressed the SPC’s recognition of ADNOC’s efforts to drive foreign investment into the UAE through its approach to strategic partnerships and investments.

He noted ADNOC has recruited over 3,200 Emirati nationals with advanced qualifications since 2016 and is set to employ an additional 1,258 by the end of 2019, including over 600 ADNOC scholars. He also acknowledged ADNOC’s plans to recruit more than 3,000 additional Emirati nationals over the next few years.

Murban crude to be traded on an exchange

Commenting on the SPC’s decision to list ADNOC’s Murban crude on an exchange, Dr. Al Jaber said, "The forward-looking decision and market-orientated foresight of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and the SPC, to list Murban on an internationally recognised exchange and improve the terms of sale of ADNOC’s Murban Crude, is another significant step in our transformation.

The initiative will enable our customers and other market participants to better price, manage and trade their purchases of Murban. This historic and strategic move cements the UAE, Abu Dhabi and ADNOC’s role in the international oil and gas sector.

He noted, "Murban is recognised the world over for its intrinsic chemical qualities, consistent and stable production volumes, large number of international buyers, and numerous long-term concession and production partners. These landmark changes, the SPC has approved, will make Murban an even more attractive crude to the global market."

MURBAN

Murban is the main onshore crude grade of Abu Dhabi and is produced by ADNOC Onshore – a subsidiary of ADNOC – via the ADNOC Onshore Murban Concession. The Murban concession produces approximately 1.7 mmbpd of Murban crude oil. ADNOC is a 60 percent equity shareholder in the Murban concession, with the remaining 40 percent shareholding held by the other concession partners, BP, Total, INPEX of Japan, GS Caltex of Korea, CNPC and ZhenHua of China.

Increase in reserves

Speaking about the increase in hydrocarbon reserves, Dr. Al Jaber said, "We are very pleased and honoured to have enabled the UAE to move from the seventh to the sixth-largest oil and gas reserves in both global rankings. These achievements underscore ADNOC’s drive to ensure we remain a trusted, reliable and responsible supplier of energy to the world for decades to come.

Crucially, the discovery of substantial unconventional recoverable gas resources, for the first time, marks an important milestone in the development of the UAE’s unconventional resources as we execute our integrated gas strategy."

He added, "The significant discoveries and increase in reserves increase are testament to the hard work, innovation, and dedication of the ADNOC family who are ensuring that we continue to thrive and stay ahead of the world’s growing demand for energy. Building on this success, we are expanding our strategic partnerships and leveraging state-of-the-art technologies and world-class expertise to efficiently expedite further exploration of Abu Dhabi’s huge untapped resources while also driving new commercial opportunities, for the benefit of the UAE."

The council’s announcement was made yesterday during its meeting chaired by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

The council also announced the discovery of 160 trillion standard cubic feet of unconventional gas resources. These discoveries are the first of its kind in the region, marking the beginning of a new phase in the development of unconventional hydrocarbon resources.

The SPC is the highest governing body of the oil and gas industry in Abu Dhabi. The Council formulates, approves, and oversees the implementation of Abu Dhabi's petroleum policy and follows up its implementation across all areas of the petroleum industry to ensure that the set goals are achieved.

After the meeting, Sheikh Mohamed reviewed the progress of ADNOC’s development and expansion projects at its headquarters, as well as its other works, such as a water fountain.

He was then briefed about the new facilities of ADNOC’s headquarters and toured a tunnel linking the building’s staff parking area and the main entrance to its northern and southern lobbies.

During the tour, he also viewed the modern lighting on the green areas surrounding the building, as well as its new plaza area and the drilling heads and valves used in several oil fields, which all combine the modernity and originality of ADNOC.

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Agencies
June 18,2020

Riyadh, Jun 18: Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb said that Saudi Arabia will resume tourist activities at the end of Shawwal (June 21) after a hiatus of more than three months due to lockdown measures imposed following the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic.

The minister made the remarks during a television interview after chairing the emergency meeting of the Arab Ministerial Council for Tourism on Wednesday. He said that the current indications are positive and that the Kingdom is ready to launch the summer program, which will be a boost for domestic tourism.

“It was revealed in a research study carried out by the Tourism Authority that 80 percent of Saudi citizens want to take advantage of domestic tourism. We will launch the domestic tourism program for the public after having made necessary coordination with the Ministry of Health and the concerned higher authorities,” he said.

Several Arab tourism ministers and officials of the relevant organizations attended the meeting, which discussed the challenges that the region’s tourism sector is facing due to the pandemic. Al-Khateeb pointed out that the Arab Ministerial Council for Tourism, headed by Saudi Arabia, held the virtual session in exceptional circumstances to discuss ways to get out of this pandemic and revitalize the tourism sector.

“Saudi Arabia has initiated a package of financial stimulus activities with a total value of more than $61 billion to protect jobs and businesses and reduce the economic burden of the crisis. The domestic tourism sector has benefited from it as one of the important economic sectors, as it covered 60 percent of salaries of Saudi employees in the private sector for a period of three months,” he added.

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Agencies
July 19,2020

Kuwait City, Jul 19: Kuwaiti ruler Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah has successfully undergone surgery early on Sunday, the emir's office said.

"His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah ... has undergone surgery this morning, with thanks to God for its success," the head of the emir's office Sheikh Ali Jarrah al-Sabah said, as quoted by state news agency KUNA.

The 91-year-old was admitted to hospital for a medical checkup.

Yesterday, a royal order was issued assigning Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmed al-Sabah, the emir's designated successor, "to take over some constitutional jurisdictions of His Highness the Emir temporarily"

In August 2019, Kuwait acknowledged the emir suffered an unspecified medical "setback" that required him to be hospitalised.

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News Network
July 23,2020

Beirut, Jul 23: The pandemic will exact a heavy toll on Arab countries, causing an economic contraction of 5.7% this year, pushing millions into poverty and compounding the suffering of those affected by armed conflict, a U.N. report said Thursday.

The U.N.'s Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia expects some Arab economies to shrink by up to 13%, amounting to an overall loss for the region of $152 billion.

Another 14.3 million people are expected to be pushed into poverty, raising the total number to 115 million — a quarter of the total Arab population, it said. More than 55 million people in the region relied on humanitarian aid before the COVID-19 crisis, including 26 million who were forcibly displaced.

Arab countries moved quickly to contain the virus in March by imposing stay-at-home orders, restricting travel and banning large gatherings, including religious pilgrimages.

Arab countries as a whole have reported more than 830,000 cases and at least 14,717 deaths. That equates to an infection rate of 1.9 per 1,000 people and 17.6 deaths per 1,000 cases, less than half the global average of 42.6 deaths, according to the U.N.

But the restrictions exacted a heavy economic toll, and authorities have been forced to ease them in recent weeks. That has led to a surge in cases in some countries, including Lebanon, Iraq and the Palestinian territories.

Wealthy Gulf countries were hit by the pandemic at a time of low oil prices, putting added strain on already overstretched budgets. Middle-income countries like Jordan and Egypt have seen tourism vanish overnight and a drop in remittances from citizens working abroad.

War-torn Libya and Syria have thus far reported relatively small outbreaks. But in Yemen, where five years of civil war had already generated the world's worst humanitarian crisis, the virus is running rampant in the government-controlled south while rebels in the north conceal its toll.

Rola Dashti, the head of the U.N. commission, said Arab countries need to “turn this crisis into an opportunity” and address longstanding issues, including weak public institutions, economic inequality and over-reliance on fossil fuels.

“We need to invest in survival, survival of people and survival of businesses,” she said.

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