China National Petroleum Corporation’s roles in two Abu Dhabi gas projects frame an executive’s call to deepen UAE-China ties through technical cooperation and shared expertise.
CNPC International (Hong Kong SAR) holds an 8% interest in the Bab Gas Cap concession, awarded June 24 by Abu Dhabi’s Supreme Council for Financial and Economic Affairs. Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) holds 60%. Bab is expected to produce about 1.5 billion standard cubic feet of natural gas per day. The award announcement said the project would support UAE gas self-sufficiency, petrochemicals and LNG exports.
ADNOC made a $6.2 billion (AED22.6 billion) final investment decision for the Umm Shaif Gas Cap in July, naming TotalEnergies, Eni and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) as partners. The project is expected to produce more than 600 million standard cubic feet of natural gas per day, along with associated gas liquids, by 2030. ADNOC did not disclose CNPC’s stake or investment contribution.
Ma Wenjie, president of China National Petroleum Company Abu Dhabi, argued for a stronger technical focus in a Nov. 2 commentary for The National. He pointed to reservoir work, drilling, digitalization and lower-carbon operations, saying cooperation could create “shared capability and value.”
ADNOC and SLB said in August that they had deployed an artificial intelligence-enabled operations platform across more than 120 drilling rigs. ADNOC said the platform reduced engineering effort by 30% to 40%; the announcement described a joint ADNOC-SLB deployment.
ADNOC said in 2017 that CNPC had acquired an 8% interest in Abu Dhabi’s onshore oil concession under a 40-year agreement and planned to establish a technology hub for mature oil fields.
ADIPEC’s Abu Dhabi program runs Nov. 2-5, with sessions on artificial intelligence and digital technology, upstream operations, and natural gas and LNG. The Bab concession award is separate from a decision on processing facilities. ADNOC Gas said in 2024 that it expected an investment decision in 2026, and MEED reported in October that technical bids for the main plant package were due Nov. 16.
