01-06-04 The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is developing its oil and gas production and supply facilities to double its oil and gas output by 2006. The government plans to increase sustainable oil production capacity to 3.8 mm bpd by 2006, from the current 2.62 mm bpd.
A crucial element in this expansion is the development of Upper Zakum from its present level of 550,000 bpd to 1.2 mm bpd and the onshore development at Bab, Al Dabb'iya, Jarn Yaphour, Rumaitha and Shanayel, bringing the combined capacity of these fields to 460,000 bpd, the paper reported.

The UAE's oil reserves, estimated at 97.8 bn barrels, account for 9.1 % of the world's total oil reserves. UAE's biggest oil reserves are located in Abu Dhabi with 92 bn barrels of the total bulk, Dubai with 4 bn barrels, Sharjah with 1.5 bn barrels and Ras Al Khaimah with 100 mm barrels.
Natural gas reserves are also concentrated in Abu Dhabi, which has 196 tcf, followed by Sharjah with 10.7 tcf, Dubai with 4.1 t and Ras Al Khaimah with 1.2 t, according to official figures.
Oil supplies from the UAE and other major OPEC producers, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq and Iran, are expected to touch 30 mm bpd by 2020 when other sources will have receded or been seriously depleted.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company has recently engaged in a major oil and gas expansion capacity program over the past decade in collaboration with Western and Japanese corporate partners. Oil and gas investments during this period exceed $ 25 bn.
OPEC's five largest oil producers, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq and Iran, control more than 60 % of global oil reserves and currently supply world markets with around 16 mm bpd.

Source: Xinhua News Agency