reaching transformation is underway in Abu Dhabi’s industrial heartland in Ruwais. As ADNOC accelerates delivery of its strategy, including AED200 billion ($55 billion) in new project awards for 2026-2028, the company is driving industrial growth across the UAE and advancing the Make it in the Emirates initiative by scaling its downstream investments and strengthening In-Country Value (ICV) across its operations.
The planned project awards announced at the “Make it with ADNOC” forum are creating significant opportunities for local manufacturing and engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors, strengthening domestic supply chains and supporting a more competitive industrial economy.
“ADNOC is scaling its downstream investments to strengthen the UAE’s industrial resilience and advance the Make it in the Emirates initiative,” said Nasser Omair Al Muhairi, CEO of Downstream Industry, Marketing and Trading at ADNOC.
He added, “Across our downstream businesses, we are delivering major projects at scale, including the TA’ZIZ chemicals ecosystem, the Ruwais LNG project and the Borouge 4 expansion, marking the next phase of growth and value creation.”
Through an integrated model spanning feedstock, production, logistics and trading, ADNOC is enhancing supply chain security, enabling a competitive domestic manufacturing sector and reinforcing the UAE’s position as a global hub for energy, chemicals and industry.
These efforts, he said, align with the UAE’s broader industrial strategy to localise critical industrial products, reinforce supply chain resilience and reduce reliance on imports.
Al Muhairi said ADNOC’s existing downstream investments are already delivering tangible impact, supported by a wide range of strategic projects. The Borouge 4 expansion will add 1.4 million tonnes per year of petrochemical capacity, increasing total capacity to 6.4 million tonnes annually.
The project includes the world’s largest Borstar® gas-phase reactor and has generated nearly $600 million (AED2.2 billion) in local purchase orders.
Elsewhere in Ruwais, phase one of TA’ZIZ, the industrial chemicals joint venture between ADNOC and ADQ, is set to contribute AED183 billion ($50 billion) to the UAE economy, creating 20,000 construction jobs and 6,000 permanent roles over the lifetime of the project.
The development is set to reach a production capacity of 4.7 million tonnes of chemicals annually by 2028, supported by long‑term commercial agreements across methanol and PVC value chains announced at Make it in the Emirates 2026, totalling around AED104 billion ($28.5 billion), strengthening the UAE’s supply chain resilience.
ADNOC is also advancing major gas and infrastructure projects to further strengthen industrial capability. ADNOC Gas has awarded $5 billion in contracts for phase one of the Rich Gas Development project, while the ESTIDAMA gas pipeline expansion has driven EPC awards exceeding AED2 billion ($550 million), with approximately 70 percent expected to flow back into the UAE economy.
The Ruwais LNG project is supported by an AED20.2 billion ($5.5 billion) EPC contract, with up to 55 percent of value retained locally, while the AED3.58 billion ($975 million) Lower Zakum artificial island project by ADNOC L&S has delivered 75 percent local value retention.
Alongside infrastructure, ADNOC’s downstream businesses are also developing a robust pipeline of Emirati talent. ADNOC’s Trading businesses have expanded from just five professionals in 2019 to over 400 today, including more than 140 UAE nationals working in real-time trading, risk management and global market analysis using advanced digital and AI-enabled systems.
