ADNOC Invests Over $750m in Developing Artificial Islands in Abu Dhabi

ADNOC’s investment in drilling wells falls under its pursuit to support its production capacity expansion to 5 million barrels per day (mmbpd) by 2030. Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic
ADNOC’s investment in drilling wells falls under its pursuit to support its production capacity expansion to 5 million barrels per day (mmbpd) by 2030. Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic
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ADNOC Invests Over $750m in Developing Artificial Islands in Abu Dhabi

ADNOC’s investment in drilling wells falls under its pursuit to support its production capacity expansion to 5 million barrels per day (mmbpd) by 2030. Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic
ADNOC’s investment in drilling wells falls under its pursuit to support its production capacity expansion to 5 million barrels per day (mmbpd) by 2030. Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) announced an investment of $763.7 million (AED2.8 billion) in integrated rigless services across six of its artificial islands in the Upper Zakum and Satah Al Razboot (SARB) fields to support its production capacity expansion to 5 million barrels per day (mmbpd) by 2030.

The investment is in the form of three contracts awarded by ADNOC Offshore to Schlumberger, ADNOC Drilling, and Halliburton after a competitive tender process.

Schlumberger’s share of the award is valued at $381.18 million (AED1.4 billion); ADNOC Drilling’s share is valued at $228.71 million (AED839.58 million), and Halliburton’s share is valued at $153.87 million (AED564.85 million).

Over 80 percent of the total award value will flow back into the UAE’s economy under ADNOC’s In-Country Value (ICV) program over the 5-year duration of the contracts.

ADNOC Upstream Executive Director Yaser Saeed Almazrouei said: “These important awards for integrated rigless services will drive efficiencies of drilling and related services and optimize costs in our Offshore operations as we ramp up our drilling activities to increase our production capacity and enable gas self-sufficiency for the UAE.”

The scope of the contracts includes coiled tubing services with thru-tubing downhole tools, stimulation services, including equipment and chemicals/fluid systems, surface well testing services, wireline, and production logging services and tools, saturation monitoring, and well integrity.

CEO of ADNOC Offshore Ahmad Saqer Al-Suwaidi said: “These contracts are an important contributor to ADNOC Offshore’s plans to build our production capacity to over 2 million barrels a day in the coming years to support the ADNOC Group’s smart growth strategy.

The award follows a highly competitive bid process, which included a rigorous assessment of how much of the contract value would support the growth and diversification of the UAE’s economy through ADNOC’s In-Country Value Program.”

ADNOC Drilling’s transformation into a fully integrated drilling services provider followed the award to Baker Hughes of a 5 percent share in the company, which is now capable of delivering start-to-finish drilling and well-construction services onshore and offshore with proven efficiency gains.

As of May 2021, ADNOC Drilling has delivered over 180 IDS wells since 2018, achieving an efficiency improvement of close to 50 percent, which resulted in over $210 million (AED767 million) savings.



China's Coal Power Plants Grow After 2024 Decline

Guohua Power Station, a coal-fired power plant, operates in Dingzhou, Baoding, in the northern China's Hebei province (AP)
Guohua Power Station, a coal-fired power plant, operates in Dingzhou, Baoding, in the northern China's Hebei province (AP)
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China's Coal Power Plants Grow After 2024 Decline

Guohua Power Station, a coal-fired power plant, operates in Dingzhou, Baoding, in the northern China's Hebei province (AP)
Guohua Power Station, a coal-fired power plant, operates in Dingzhou, Baoding, in the northern China's Hebei province (AP)

China approved 11.29 gigawatts (GW) of new coal power plants in the first three months of 2025, already exceeding the 10.34 GW approved in the first half of 2024, a new Greenpeace report showed on Thursday.

Last year, Chinese approvals of new coal-fired power capacity fell 41.5% year-on-year to 62.24 GW, the first annual decline since 2021. The new data suggest approvals are tracking higher this year.

While all the approved projects may not be built, the growing pipeline signals a continued reliance on coal.

Reducing coal use to cut emissions is key to China's goal to hit peak carbon emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060.

Gao Yuhe, Greenpeace's climate and energy project manager for East Asia said,

“The year 2025 marks a pivotal moment in the country’s energy transition. There is already enough existing capacity to meet today's peak demand.

Approving a new wave of large-scale coal projects risks creating overcapacity, stranded assets, and higher transition costs.”

State planner, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the National Energy Administration did not immediately respond to faxed requests for comment.

This year marks the last in China's 2021-2025 five-year plan, in which China has approved 289 GW in new coal capacity, around double the 145 GW approved for the 2016-2020 period.

China has said it will start to phase down coal during the 2026-2030 five-year plan, but Beijing has not committed to any specific targets.

In return, Greenpeace called for more ambitious carbon emissions goals from China and a clear timeline for phasing out coal.

It also said China's power sector emissions could peak this year as growth in wind and solar outpaces coal.