Abu Dhabi is shaking up its oil and gas sector in 2016 as the emirate’s crown prince increases his control. But one constant remains, its commitment to boosting production capacity to 3.5mn b/d by 2018.

The recently-appointed director general of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), Sultan al-Jabir, has emphasized its continued commitment to increasing production to 3.5mn b/d by 2018. Mr Jabir was appointed in February (MEES, 19 February). Adnoc is pressing on with its investment program despite low oil prices, he told local daily The National on 3 April. Latest ‘Rig Count’ data from services firm Baker Hughes backs this up – Abu Dhabi had a near-record 48 drilling rigs active in March, up 12 on year ago levels (MEES, 8 April). (CONTINUED - 1348 WORDS)