Abu Dhabi's Adnoc Gas has awarded contracts worth $5 billion for a key project that is part of its major operational expansion and self-sufficiency strategy.
The final investment decision is the first of three phases for the Rich Gas Development project, which is expected to boost the company's Ebitda by 40 per cent through 2029, Adnoc Gas said in a statement on Tuesday.
Ebitda – or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation – is a key metric used by companies to measure core profitability.
The contracts are part of what Adnoc Gas, a unit of state-owned energy major Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, said is its biggest ever capital investment. They involve boosting key processing units to increase efficiency across its four gas facilities in Asab, Buhasa, onshore Habshan and Das Island, the company said.
The engineering, procurement and construction management contracts were awarded in three tranches: Scotland-based professional services firm Wood secured $2.8 billion for Habshan, while a consortia of London-based Petrofac and Dubai's Kent received $1.2 billion and $1.1 billion for Das Island, and Asab and Buhasa, respectively.
Adnoc Gas first hinted in November that it would make the investment decision for the Rich Gas Development project in 2025. A decision for another major project, the Bab Gas Cap development, is expected in 2026.
The Rich Gas Development project will help develop new gas reservoirs, which in turn, would increase liquid gas exports, support the UAE's gas self-sufficiency agenda and provide feedstock to the country’s growing petrochemical industry, the company said.
The first phase of the project will focus on optimising and removing bottlenecks in existing Adnoc Gas assets while unlocking new and valuable gas streams, in addition to future-proofing its business.
The company plans to decide on the next two phases of the project at Habshan and Ruwais to “enable the delivery of greater production capacity to meet growing market demands”, but did not give a timeline.
The investment in the Rich Gas Development project marks a “significant milestone” for the company, Fatema Al Nuaimi, chief executive of Adnoc Gas, said in the statement.
“This strategic investment is expected to deliver significant new value for our shareholders and enable continued sustainable growth for the company, our employees and the UAE,” she added.
Adnoc Gas, which has access to 95 per cent of the UAE's natural gas reserves, is looking to boost exports of products such as liquefied natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas and naphtha.
Its customers in the Emirates include utilities and industrial companies, which are supplied commercial quantities through an extensive network of pipelines.
Adnoc Gas, alongside other Adnoc units, has been boosting investments to expand its geographical and operational reach.
In May, the company reported a 7 per cent year-on-year increase in net income to $1.27 billion, driven by strong domestic demand for gas and continued economic growth in the UAE, the Arab world's second-largest economy.
Adnoc Gas is also eligible for potential inclusion in the Morgan Stanley Capital International and Financial Times Stock Exchange emerging market indexes as early as June and September respectively, it said.
Adnoc sold part of its stake in the subsidiary to institutional investors as it looks to improve liquidity and raise capital. The recently completed offering of 3.1 billion shares in Adnoc Gas increased the free float by 4 per cent to 9 per cent.
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A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
The team
Photographer: Mateusz Stefanowski at Art Factory
Videographer: Jear Valasquez
Fashion director: Sarah Maisey
Make-up: Gulum Erzincan at Art Factory
Model: Randa at Art Factory Videographer’s assistant: Zanong Magat
Photographer’s assistant: Sophia Shlykova
With thanks to Jubail Mangrove Park, Jubail Island, Abu Dhabi
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Brief scores
Barcelona 2
Pique 36', Alena 87'
Villarreal 0
Fourth Arab Economic and Social Development Summit
As he spoke, Mr Aboul Gheit repeatedly referred to the need to tackle issues affecting the welfare of people across the region both in terms of preventing conflict and in pushing development.
Lebanon is scheduled to host the fourth Arab Economic and Social Development Summit in January that will see regional leaders gather to tackle the challenges facing the Middle East. The last such summit was held in 2013. Assistant Secretary-General Hossam Zaki told The National that the Beirut Summit “will be an opportunity for Arab leaders to discuss solely economic and social issues, the conference will not focus on political concerns such as Palestine, Syria or Libya". He added that its slogan will be “the individual is at the heart of development”, adding that it will focus on all elements of human capital.
THE BIO
Ms Al Ameri likes the variety of her job, and the daily environmental challenges she is presented with.
Regular contact with wildlife is the most appealing part of her role at the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi.
She loves to explore new destinations and lives by her motto of being a voice in the world, and not an echo.
She is the youngest of three children, and has a brother and sister.
Her favourite book, Moby Dick by Herman Melville helped inspire her towards a career exploring the natural world.
