Top gas and oil fields in the UAE

• Oil fields in Abu Dhabi
• Oil fields in Dubai
• Sharjah gas fields
• Oil and gas fields in Ras Al Khaimah
• Umm Al Quwain Gas Field

Crude oil has been a mainstay in the UAE economy and it is one of the main products that the country exports to several regions across the globe. This precious resource was first discovered in 1958 at the Murban Bab Oil field in Abu Dhabi. Today the UAE collectively produces 6% of the world’s total crude oil supply. Oil fields in the UAE have 97.8 million barrels of proven crude oil reserves, as per the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries or OPEC’s data.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), Dubai Petroleum (DPE) and the Sharjah National Oil Corporation (SNOC) are some of the main bodies that manage and control the UAE gas and oil fields. Let’s explore the various gas and oil fields in the region to learn more about their discovery, production capacity and much more.

OIL FIELDS IN ABU DHABI

UMM SHAIF OIL FIELD

The Umm Shaif Oil Field was discovered in 1958, and developed by the Abu Dhabi Marine Areas Ltd, which was a joint venture between British Petroleum and Compagnie Française des Pétroles, now known as Total.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, popularly known as ADNOC manages and operates the Umm Shaif oil field in Abu Dhabi. The oil field holds total proven reserves of around 3.9 billion barrels and each day the field is able to produce 300,000 barrels of oil. The resources from this oil field along with others ensure uninterrupted supply to Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas companies.

BU HASA OIL FIELD

Another oil field in the UAE that has played a significant role in the development and progress of the region is Bu Hasa Oil Field. Discovered in 1962, ADNOC and Abu Dhabi Company for On-Shore Oil Operations owns the Bu Hasa Oil Field in the UAE. Bu Hasa has total proven reserves amounting to 6.52 billion barrels and a production capacity of 600,000 barrels per day.

UPPER ZAKUM

The Upper Zakum oilfield is located 84 kilometres north-west of Abu Dhabi and it is the fourth-largest oil field in the world. Zakum Development Company ZADCO a joint venture of ADNOC and ExxonMobil, together with the Japan Oil Development Company owns the massive Upper Zakum oilfield in Abu Dhabi.

Upper Zakum is a shallow water-oilfield spread across 1,200 square kilometres. It contains about 450 wells and extends 7,000 ft. to 8,000 ft. below the earth’s surface. The Upper Zakum oilfield is said to produce over 750,000 barrels per day, although, with the recent investments in the project, the production is expected to be increased up to one million barrels per day.

LOWER ZAKUM

The Lower Zakum oil field as the name suggests is the lower segment of the expansive Zakum field in Abu Dhabi. The Lower Zakum oilfield in Abu Dhabi was discovered in 1963 by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company. It is operated by ADNOC Offshore. The total proven reserves of the Lower Zakum oil field are around 17.2 billion barrels.

HABSHAN

Habshan is one of the most significant oil and gas fields in the UAE managed by ADNOC. The Habshan–Fujairah oil pipeline, or Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline (ADCOP), starts from this off-shore oil field in the UAE and extends to the Gulf of Oman in Fujairah. This UAE oil field is also a large scale producer of sulphur.

OIL FIELDS IN DUBAI

Dubai Petroleum or DPE manages the city’s offshore oil and gas reserves. These fields supply oil and petrol to all the major petrol stations in Dubai and other emirates. Here is a list of the five oilfields in Dubai that play a major role in the UAE’s economy.

FATEH FIELD

The Fateh Field owned by Dubai Petroleum is the oldest of the five oilfields. The field was named Fateh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum. Fateh was discovered in 1966 and it has been operational since 1969. The field consists of 47 platforms with 31 satellite wellhead platforms, 16 central complex platforms and 75 subsea pipelines.

SOUTH WEST (SW) FATEH FIELD

The South West Fateh oil field in Dubai started oil production within the first three years of its discovery in 1972. One of the significant oilfields in the UAE, the South West Fateh field include 23 platforms, 13 satellite wellhead platforms and 10 bridge central complex platforms.

RASHID FIELD

The Rashid Field is another major oil field in the UAE. The oilfield was discovered in 1973 whereas the oil production was initiated in 1979. The Rashid Field is a smaller oilfield in comparison with the other fields in Dubai. It has three platforms and six subsea pipelines. The crude oil produced at Rashid Field is sent over to the Fateh oilfield for further processing.

FALAH FIELD

The Falah oil field in Dubai started production in 1978, six years after its discovery in 1972. The field consists of four platforms and nine underwater pipelines. The Falah Field crude oil production is transferred to South West Fateh for further processing.

JALILAH FIELD

The Jalilah Field is one of the newest additions to the Dubai oil fields. This newly developed field has two platforms and three subsea pipelines.

SHARJAH GAS FIELDS

The Zora gas field in Sharjah was first discovered in January 1979. The Zora gas field in Sharjah is one of the prominent energy assets owned by Dana Gas. The field is located in the Sharjah Western Offshore Concession block off the coast of Sharjah.

Apart from Zora, Sharjah National Oil Corporation SNOC operates the Saaja Assets in Sharjah. The Sajaa Assets include the Sajaa field, Moveyid and the Kahaif natural gas and condensate fields. In January 2020, SNOC announced the discovery of a new oil field called the Mahani field in Sharjah.

OIL AND GAS FIELDS IN RAS AL KHAIMAH

The Saleh field in Ras Al Khaimah is located in the Strait of Hormuz. It was first discovered in 1964 by Union Oil, a US-based company. However, production did not begin for the next 20 years. The output from the Saleh field in RAK was at its peak in 1986, when it produced 70 million cubic feet gas per day and 13,000 barrels of condensate per day. Currently, revival efforts for the Saleh field are underway.

UMM AL QUWAIN GAS FIELD

The Umm Al Quwain Gas field or UAQ field is located 20 kilometres off the coast of Umm Al Quwain. The gas field is capable of producing up to 92 MMscfd of wet gas. The development and operations of the UAQ field is carried out by Field Atlantis, a unit of Sinochem Corporation.

That’s all for our list of the major oil fields in the UAE. These oilfields play a vital role in the economic development and the GDP of the emirates. Fujairah’s role in the oil and gas industry of the UAE is limited to refining, bunkering and storage. The emirate has two refineries, and 17 oil terminals which play a vital role in the supply chain.

The government of the UAE and other stakeholders are injecting capital into the oil and gas assets for improved capacity. These fields provide raw material and crude oil to the top oil and gas companies in the UAE.