Four international partners have joined Adnoc’s lower-carbon intensity Ruwais liquefied natural gas (LNG) project.

bp, Mitsui & Co, Shell and TotalEnergies have been awarded a 10 per cent equity stake each in Abu Dhabi's Ruwais LNG project with Adnoc retaining a 60 per cent majority stake.

His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, met with the heads of the global energy companies to exchange views on the future of the energy sector and the UAE's commitment to ensuring a sustainable future through adoption and implementation of latest innovations, as well as the pursuit of international collaboration on the sidelines of the signing ceremony.

Separately, ADNOC has signed several new long-term LNG sales commitments with international partners, including for the delivery of 1 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) with Shell and 0.6mtpa with Mitsui & Co., taking the committed Ruwais LNG production capacity to 70 per cent.

The partnership reinforces Abu Dhabi’s position as a trusted investment destination and builds on the Final Investment Decision (FID) for the Ruwais LNG project, which was endorsed by HH Sheikh Khaled in his capacity as Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of Adnoc last month.

The agreement was signed by Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Adnoc Managing Director and Group CEO; Murray Auchincloss, CEO of bp; Kenichi Hori, President and CEO of Mitsui & Co.; Wael Sawan, CEO of Shell; and Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies.

During the meeting and signing ceremony, Sheikh Khaled highlighted how Abu Dhabi’s attractiveness to international investors operating within the energy sector, coupled with the UAE leadership’s commitment to harnessing innovative technological solutions, is accelerating sustainable economic growth nationwide.

The Ruwais LNG project, currently under development in Al Ruwais Industrial City, Al Dhafra, Abu Dhabi, will be the first LNG export facility in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to run on clean power. It will leverage the latest technologies and AI to minimise emissions and drive efficiency.

The project consists of two 4.8mtpa LNG liquefaction trains with a total capacity of 9.6mtpa. Natural gas is a crucial transitional fuel, generating lower-carbon emissions compared to other fossil fuels, and the facility will more than double Adnoc’s UAE LNG production capacity to around 15mtpa, as the company builds its international LNG portfolio. The participation of bp, Mitsui & Co., Shell and TotalEnergies in the project is subject to customary regulatory clearances.