Adnoc has signed the first long-term sales and purchase agreement with Germany's Sefe (Securing Energy for Europe) for its Ruwais liquefied natural gas project in Abu Dhabi, boosting the emirate’s status as an energy investment hub.
The state-owned oil major announced the 15-year, 1 million tonnes per annum agreement with Sefe's subsidiary, Sefe Marketing and Trading Singapore, at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (Adipec) on Wednesday.
The financial value of the deal was not disclosed.
The LNG will primarily be sourced from the Ruwais project, with deliveries expected to start in 2028 once commercial operations begin, Adnoc said. More than 7 metric tonnes per annum of the Ruwais LNG project’s production capacity has been committed to international customers through long-term agreements to date.
Adnoc's Ruwais LNG project will comprise two 4.8 mtpa LNG liquefaction trains with a total capacity of 9.6 mtpa per annum, which will more than double Adnoc's existing LNG production capacity in the UAE to approximately 15 mtpa.
It is also set to be the first LNG export centres in the Middle East and Africa region to run on clean power, making it one of the lowest-carbon-intensity LNG plants in the world, according to Adnoc.
“As natural gas demand continues to increase, Adnoc is ensuring greater access to lower-carbon gas to power homes, fuel industries and keep people connected, and we will continue to reinforce our role as a reliable global supplier of natural gas,” Fatema Al Nuaimi, executive vice president for downstream business management at Adnoc, said.
Demand for LNG has increased in Europe since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, as countries seek to diversify their energy sources and reduce dependence on Russian gas supplies.
Last year, Adnoc and German power company RWE announced the delivery of the first LNG shipment from the UAE to Germany.
Germany, the EU’s largest economy, plans to produce 80 per cent of its electricity using renewable energy sources by 2030.
However, Berlin is still reliant on fossil fuels for domestic power production.
Natural gas, crude oil and coal were collectively responsible for about 80 per cent of the country’s energy supply in 2022, the latest data from the International Energy Agency shows.
Sefe's partnership with Adnoc will help the former's efforts to “responsibly” diversify its energy sources, as well as enhance the security of energy supply for Germany and Europe, and help its customers with decarbonisation, said Egbert Laege, chief executive of Sefe.
“Furthermore, it is an important step for Sefe's ambition to drive the energy transition and become a European energy major in the low-carbon economy,” he said.
The sales and purchase agreement, announced on Wednesday, converts the previous initial agreement between Adnoc and Sefe in March into a definitive agreement.
The new Adnoc-Sefe agreement also builds on the UAE-Germany Energy Security and Industry Accelerator signed by the two countries in 2022, which aims to advance co-operation in energy security, decarbonisation and lower-carbon fuels.
Adnoc, which is responsible for almost all of the UAE’s oil production, is looking to position itself as a major player in the LNG market, as demand for the fuel is projected to grow over the next few decades.
In September, it signed a preliminary 15-year agreement with state-backed Indian Oil to supply 1 million tonnes a year of LNG to India and agreed to acquire a 35 per cent equity stake in US oil major ExxonMobil’s proposed blue hydrogen and ammonia production centre in Texas.
In May, Adnoc acquired an 11.7 per cent stake in phase one of NextDecade’s Rio Grande LNG export project in Texas, marking its first investment in the US.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Know your camel milk:
Flavour: Similar to goat’s milk, although less pungent. Vaguely sweet with a subtle, salty aftertaste.
Texture: Smooth and creamy, with a slightly thinner consistency than cow’s milk.
Use it: In your morning coffee, to add flavour to homemade ice cream and milk-heavy desserts, smoothies, spiced camel-milk hot chocolate.
Goes well with: chocolate and caramel, saffron, cardamom and cloves. Also works well with honey and dates.
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
Five hymns the crowds can join in
Papal Mass will begin at 10.30am at the Zayed Sports City Stadium on Tuesday
Some 17 hymns will be sung by a 120-strong UAE choir
Five hymns will be rehearsed with crowds on Tuesday morning before the Pope arrives at stadium
‘Christ be our Light’ as the entrance song
‘All that I am’ for the offertory or during the symbolic offering of gifts at the altar
‘Make me a Channel of your Peace’ and ‘Soul of my Saviour’ for the communion
‘Tell out my Soul’ as the final hymn after the blessings from the Pope
The choir will also sing the hymn ‘Legions of Heaven’ in Arabic as ‘Assakiroo Sama’
There are 15 Arabic speakers from Syria, Lebanon and Jordan in the choir that comprises residents from the Philippines, India, France, Italy, America, Netherlands, Armenia and Indonesia
The choir will be accompanied by a brass ensemble and an organ
They will practice for the first time at the stadium on the eve of the public mass on Monday evening
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
