Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) has awarded a contract worth Dh3.6 billion ($980 million) to Adnoc Drilling to hire two jack-up offshore rigs and associated manpower and equipment.

The contract, awarded by Adnoc Offshore — the largest national drilling company in the Middle East by rig fleet size — will support the expansion of Adnoc’s production capacity as it responds to the growing global demand for lower carbon intensity oil and gas.

Adnoc Drilling will leverage its world-class expertise and state-of-the-art rig fleet to further unlock the UAE’s offshore energy resources.

Over 80 per cent of the award value will flow back into the UAE’s economy under Adnoc’s In-Country Value (ICV) programme, supporting local economic growth and diversification.

According to Yaser Saeed Almazrouei, Adnoc Upstream Executive Director: "This award for the hire of jack-up rigs supports our ongoing efforts to responsibly unlock our lower carbon intensity oil and gas resources, alongside our strategic international partners, and contribute to global energy security. Adnoc Drilling’s world-class capabilities continues to be a key enabler of these efforts."

This award brings the total value of awards from Adnoc Offshore to Adnoc Drilling in 2022 to $5.95 billion to maximise value from Abu Dhabi’s offshore oil and gas resources.

In October, Adnoc Drilling was awarded a contract worth $1.52 billion for the provision of jack-up and island rigs and associated Integrated Drilling Services. This followed two awards in August worth $3.43 billion to hire eight jack-up rigs.

Adnoc Offshore is supporting Adnoc’s drive to expand production capacity to five million barrels per day (mbpd) by 2030 and enable gas self-sufficiency for the UAE, and Adnoc Drilling is a critical to delivering on these strategic objectives.

Adnoc Drilling’s rig fleet spans 105 owned rigs, including 28 offshore jack-up units, one of the largest operational jack-up fleets in the world.