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
July 26,2020

Jeddah, Jul 26: The city of Makkah is opening its arms again to welcome pilgrims for the annual Hajj — although only a handful compared with previous years.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s event is limited to about 1,000 pilgrims, all from inside Saudi Arabia, about 700 of whom are expatriates.

Abdullah Al-Kathiri, an Emirati and a recovered COVID-19 patient, postponed his pilgrimage last year because it coincided with his wedding plans. “I’ve heard from many who’ve performed the pilgrimage in past years that it was always a smooth process, even with the massive numbers,” he said. “So you could imagine how it would be with the limited number of pilgrims this year. Surely it will be a great experience.”

Khadija, a Bulgarian expatriate, was overcome with tears when she heard she would be performing Hajj this year. “I didn’t expect they’d accept,” she said. “I’m sure this year’s Hajj will be an exceptional one in all respects.”

Dr. Haifa Yousef Hamdoon, a Tunisian physician in Qassim, is another who did not expect to be accepted because of the low numbers this year. “When I received confirmation of my request, I was overjoyed and couldn’t believe it,” she said.

Mu’taz Mohamed, a Sudanese pilgrim who also lives in Qassim region, praised the preventive and precautionary health measures taken in order to ensure his safety and that of other pilgrims, to enable them to perform the rituals safely.

After completing their arrival procedures, the pilgrims were taken to their accommodation in Makkah, supervised by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah. They will stay there for four days before beginning their pilgrimage on July 30.

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Agencies
May 26,2020

Dubai, May 26: An Indian expat, who recently recovered from COVID-19, fell to his death from a building in Dubai, police said.

The 26-year-old Indian national identified as Neelath Muhammed Firdous from Kerala, fell from the seventh floor balcony of his building where he stayed with six others including his uncle, Naushad Ali, 33.

A Dubai Police official confirmed the incident to Gulf News on Monday and said it had been a suicide.

"He was suffering from a mental disorder and there is no criminal suspicions behind his death," said the official.

"The incident happened on Sunday," the official confirmed.

The victim's relative said: "(He) awoke early to perform prayers and everyone was getting on with their daily morning chores when he walked to the balcony and jumped.

"He was suffering from a mental disorder and had been disturbed for some time. He thought everyone was out to attack him and had stopped eating his food as he thought people were feeding him poison. He was refusing to even take water from us."

The victim had tested positive for COVID-19 on April 10. On May 7, he was discharged from a Dubai hospital after clearing all tests.

The relative told Gulf News that he had registered the victim in the Department of Non-Resident Keralites Affairs (NORKA) last month in order to repatriate him, however he was unsuccessful in procuring a ticket.

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Arab News
March 9,2020

Dubai, Mar 9: The eyes of the world will be on the oil markets when the big trading hubs in Europe and North America open following the end of the deal between Saudi Arabia and Russia that has helped to sustain crude at relatively high levels for the past three years.

There were big falls on Friday when ministers from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) failed to get a deal with non-OPEC members — the so-called OPEC+ — to extend output agreements. Brent oil was down nearly 10 percent at $45.27 going into the western weekend.

Saudi Aramco took immediate action to cut prices after the OPEC+ collapse, offering big discounts for crude deliveries from next month, when the current output restrictions end.

According to a notification sent to customers by Saudi Aramco, seen by Arab News, the Kingdom’s oil giant will cut between $4 and $8 per barrel, with the biggest discounts being offered to buyers in northwest Europe and the US.

Roger Diwan, an oil analyst at consultancy IHS Market, said: “We are likely to see the lowest oil prices of the past 20 years in the next quarter.”

West Texas Intermediate, the US oil benchmark, fell to $28.27 in November 2001.

The move raises the possibility of a “crude war” between the three biggest oil blocs — the US, Russia and the Arabian Gulf. Some analysts believe the American shale industry is more vulnerable to low prices than either the Russians or the Saudis.

Robin Mills, head of the Qamar consultancy, told Arab News: “I don’t think this was premeditated but Saudi Arabia has clearly swung quickly into action to put the Russians under pressure. But the Russians, with low debt and a flexible exchange rate, can cope with a few months of low prices.”

The boom in US shale has made the country the biggest oil producer in the world, but with high financing costs. Lower global prices would put a lot of shale companies out of business.

On the other hand, American motorists, and President Donald Trump, would be pleased to see lower fuel prices in an election year.

In Moscow, one prominent financier with ties to the Kingdom played down the long-term significance of the Vienna fallout.

Kirill Dmitriev, chief executive of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, told Arab News: “Saudi Arabia is our strategic partner, and cooperation between our two countries will continue in all areas. We will also continue to work within the framework of the Russia-Saudi Economic Council.”

One Russian official, who asked not to be named, added: “There is a good relationship between Alexander Novak, Russian energy minister, and his Saudi counterpart Prince Abdul Aziz bin Salman, and I am sure they will continue talking to each other less formally.”

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