Abu Dhabi networks on the global stage
24 October 2023
Abu Dhabi has been notably active on the world stage in recent months, forging stronger ties with partners from east and west by signing up to the Brics group and a new India-to-Europe trade route. The Cop28 climate summit in Dubai will provide another opportunity to reach out to countries in the global south.
For many years, the UAE has tried to leverage the commercial strength of Dubai and the oil wealth of Abu Dhabi to forge deeper connections with key partners around the world, from both east and west.
That strategy was on clear display in Johannesburg in late August when the UAE was one of six countries invited to join the Brics club of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
That was interpreted by some as a clear signal that Abu Dhabi was offering support to Beijing, potentially at the expense of its ties with the West. But a few weeks later, the UAE turned its attention in another direction again.
At the G20 summit in New Delhi on 9 September, the UAE signed up to the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (Imec) – an initiative to create a new trade route backed by the US and the EU, among others, to stretch from Mumbai across the Arabian Peninsula and the Levant and on to Greece.
Such initiatives have some things in common, not least their potential to bolster oil and non-oil trade. Akanksha Samdani, an economist at UK-based Oxford Economics, said the decision to join the Brics club should help the UAE “by increasing trade and investment opportunities. Also, the group will likely trade with their regional currencies, reducing their dependence on the US dollar.”
The Brics grouping is growing in clout. Oxford Economics estimates the current five-strong club accounted for 26 per cent of global GDP in 2022, but that should rise to 30 per cent by 2024 with the addition of the UAE and the other new members.
Beyond trade and commerce
It is not just about trade though. Brics, Imec and other initiatives such as the I2U2 group with India, Israel and the US are all part of the UAE’s efforts to place itself at the centre of international flows of information, money and more besides.
“I see the UAE as a networking power,” says Andreas Krieg, associate professor at King’s College London. “They’ve found a way to redevelop and redesign their statecraft to position themselves as an indispensable hub … where flows of capital, people, ideas are going from east to west and north to south.
“Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the key hubs in the Middle East, but beyond that they’re becoming increasingly important connectivity hubs between east and west, particular in that multipolar competition we’re seeing now between western countries, China and Russia.”
All this fits in with the UAE’s wider search for economic diversification, something also seen in the surprise decision in early September to set up a federal gambling regulator.
Being an international hub gives the UAE influence or oversight over all sorts of trade. But it can also open the country up to less welcome elements, with those involved in illicit flows of capital and people just as likely to try to exploit the potential.
In March 2022, the Paris-based international financial watchdog the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) placed the UAE on its list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring. The UAE has taken steps to address the FATF’s concerns, but has yet to persuade the body to take it off its ‘grey list’.
Further reputational risks come from allegations of UAE support for rebel groups such as Field Marshal Khalifa Belqasim Haftar’s Libyan National Army in eastern Libya and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti)’s Rapid Support Forces in Sudan.
The UAE has denied providing weapons to those fighting in Sudan’s civil war, but it has yet to account for a large airlift operation between Abu Dhabi and the remote Chadian town of Amdjarass close to the Sudanese border that started in May.
Also steering between conflicting priorities, the UAE offered a guarded and diplomatic response on developments in Israel and Gaza, condemning the “serious and grave escalation” by Hamas-led militants while calling for the full protection of all civilians under humanitarian law. Days into the conflict, its trade minister said the UAE did not mix trade with politics.
Top 10 UAE clean energy projects
The Cop test
A key test for the UAE’s standing on the international stage will come with the Cop28 climate change summit, due to be held in Expo City Dubai from 30 November to 12 December.
The UAE has been attracting some criticism for its failure to guarantee free speech for activists at the event, with the UK government issuing a statement on 3 October saying it was “disappointed” the UAE had not given concrete assurances over the rights to freedom of opinion, expression and peaceful assembly.
“In the year that the UAE will host Cop28, we ask that they share how they will assure citizens, residents and visitors of the UAE these rights now and in future.”
Cop28 is more about positioning themselves as a hub and advocate for the global south and for their needs in the climate change debate
Andreas Krieg, King’s College London
Western observers have also been critical about the decision to appoint Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) chief executive Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber as president-designate of the summit.
Al-Jaber has appeared unfazed by the criticism and has said he will be using the event to focus on curbing emissions from the production of energy, scaling up renewable power and decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors such as steel, cement and aluminium.
He told the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference (Adipec) on 2 October that “everyone must be around the table to make the transformational progress needed, and especially the energy industry.”
The UAE was always likely to attract criticism from western climate activists, given its position as one of the world’s larger oil and gas producers, but Abu Dhabi’s focus for the event may in fact be directed elsewhere.
“Cop28 was never about appealing to the west,” says Kreig. “For the Emiratis, this is more about positioning themselves as a hub and advocate for the global south and for their needs and interests in the climate change debate.”
Image: UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan met with India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on the sidelines of the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September. Credit: Wam
MEED’s November 2023 special report on the UAE also includes:
> UAE economy maintains robust growth
> UAE banks enjoy the good times
> Hail and Ghasha galvanises UAE upstream market
> Adnoc spurs downstream gas expansions
> UAE closes ranks ahead of Cop28
> UAE ramps up decarbonisation of water sector
> UAE construction sector returns to form
> UAE aviation returns to growth
Register for MEED's guest program now to access this article.
Exclusive from Meed
-
Abu Dhabi seeks firms for Mid Island Parkway PPP15 May 2026
-
Oman seeks adviser for gas-fired IPPs15 May 2026
-
-
-
All of this is only 1% of what MEED.com has to offer
Subscribe now and unlock all the 153,671 articles on MEED.com
- All the latest news, data, and market intelligence across MENA at your fingerprints
- First-hand updates and inside information on projects, clients and competitors that matter to you
- 20 years' archive of information, data, and news for you to access at your convenience
- Strategize to succeed and minimise risks with timely analysis of current and future market trends
Related Articles
-
Abu Dhabi seeks firms for Mid Island Parkway PPP
15 May 2026
Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access
Modon Infrastructure, formerly known as Gridora, has invited firms to submit their registrations for the next phase of Abu Dhabi’s Mid Island Parkway Project (MIPP), which will be developed on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis.
The request for qualifications (RFQ) is expected to be issued to interested parties soon.
Modon Infrastructure will act as the lead developer with the majority of the equity in the project company. It will award the engineering, procurement, and construction contractor, the operations and maintenance providers, and the advisers.
The second phase of the MIPP involves the construction of about 11 kilometres (km) of highways, including a mix of three-, four- and five-lane highways. The highways will connect the Um-Yifeenah, Al-Jubail, Al-Sammaliyyah and Sas Al-Nakhl islands to Khalifa City and the E10 road.
The scope also covers the construction of three interchanges: the E20, E10 and Dumbbell interchanges on Al-Sammaliyyah Island.
The project includes several major structures, such as the E20 interchange featuring cast-in-place box girder and void slab bridges, and the E10 interchange with cast-in-place box girder bridges. It also includes I-girder bridges between Raha Beach West and Sas Al-Nakhl Island, as well as a causeway at Sas Al-Nakhl Island.
Further key elements include a cast-in-place balanced cantilever bridge between Sas Al-Nakhl Island and Al-Sammaliyyah Island, a tunnel between Al-Sammaliyyah Island and Bilrimaid Island, and a cut-and-cover (open) tunnel on Bilrimaid Island. The project is completed with another tunnel connecting Bilrimaid Island to Um-Yifeenah Island.
Abu Dhabi awarded three packages for phase one of the MIPP in 2024. The contract for package 1A was awarded to a joint venture of Turkish contractor Dogus Construction and UAE firm Gulf Contractors. Package 1B was awarded to a joint venture of Yas Projects (Alpha Dhabi Holding) and China Railway International Group. Beijing-headquartered China Harbour Engineering Company and the UAE’s Agility Engineering & Contracting Company won the contract for package 1C.
Phase one starts at the existing Saadiyat interchange, connecting the E12 to the MIPP, and ends at the recently constructed Um-Yifeenah highway.
It comprises a dual main road with a total length of 8km, including four traffic lanes in each direction, two interchanges, a tunnel and associated infrastructure works.
https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16858325/main.jpg -
Oman seeks adviser for gas-fired IPPs
15 May 2026
Oman’s Nama Power & Water Procurement Company (PWP) has issued a request for proposals for technical consultancy services for the development of new gas-fired independent power projects (IPPs) in the sultanate.
The state offtaker said the projects will have a total capacity of up to 2,800MW.
The bid submission deadline is 17 June.
While Oman is accelerating investment in renewable energy and battery storage, gas-fired thermal generation is expected to remain a core part of the country’s power mix over the coming decade.
The Misfah and Duqm combined-cycle gas turbine power plants are advancing towards construction following the appointment of China-headquartered Shandong Electric Power Construction No. 3 Company (Sepco 3) and South Korea’s Doosan Enerbility as contractors.
According to Nama PWP’s 2025 annual report, the Duqm IPP will have a total capacity of 877MW, including 555MW of early power capacity, which is scheduled to commence in Q2 2028.
The Misfah IPP will have a total capacity of 1,700MW, including 1,203MW of early power capacity, which is scheduled to commence in the same quarter.
Nama PWP has also recently awarded new power-purchase agreements (PPAs) to three IPPs to extend the operating life of existing gas-fired power plants beyond the expiry of their current contracts.
The new agreements for the 750MW Sohar 2 IPP and 750MW Barka 3 IPP will take effect on 1 April 2028 and run until 31 March 2043. The agreement for the 200MW Sur IPP will commence on 1 April 2029 and run until 31 March 2044.
The awards form part of Nama PWP’s 2028-29 procurement programme. The programme aims to secure firm generation capacity from existing assets whose current PPAs are due to expire during that period.
https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16857037/main4750.jpg -
Alghanim submits lowest offer for Kuwait oil refinery project
15 May 2026
Kuwait’s Alghanim International General Trading & Contracting has submitted the lowest bid for a contract to upgrade the country’s Mina Al-Ahmadi (MAA) refinery.
The client is state-owned downstream operator Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC). The project scope covers upgrades to water transmission and storage infrastructure at the refinery.
The contract will be delivered under an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) model. The tender was issued in October 2025 with an initial bid deadline of 4 January 2026, which was later extended several times. The most recent rescheduling moved the deadline from 19 April to 10 May.
Alghanim submitted a bid of KD37.0m ($120m), significantly lower than the other two bidders, both Kuwait-based: Heavy Engineering Industries & Shipbuilding Company (Heisco) at KD60.6m ($197m) and Gulf Spic General Trading & Contracting at KD63.9m ($207m).
The project is expected to take two years to complete and will expand water storage capacity at the facility by extending existing tanks or constructing new ones. The contractor will also develop associated infrastructure and upgrade systems that transport desalinated water to the refinery, including pipelines and related equipment.
In its 2024-25 annual report, KNPC said the project will help meet water demand for the facility’s refining and gas production units.
https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16852744/main.jpg -
Civil and piping work starts on Iraq field development
15 May 2026
Civil works and piping work have started for the project to develop a second central processing facility (CPF) at Iraq’s Ratawi oil and gas field, according to industry sources.
The project is part of the $27bn Gas Growth Integrated Project (GGIP), which is being developed by TotalEnergies along with its partners Basra Oil Company (BOC) and Qatar Energy.
Phase one of the GGIP is expected to be worth about $10bn.
Work is progressing on the project despite logistical problems related to the regional conflict that broke out after the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February.
While early works are ongoing, equipment needed for later stages of the project is being delayed as it was due to be transported to the project site using ships that would have travelled through the Strait of Hormuz.
Shipping through the Strait is still severely disrupted due to the regional conflict.
In September, Turkiye’s Enka signed a contract to develop the second CPF at Iraq’s Ratawi field as part of the second phase of the field’s development.
Enka did not give a value for the contract, but it is believed to be worth more than $1bn.
In November, US-based KBR was selected by Enka to provide detailed design services for the project.
Enka’s contract covers the engineering, procurement, supply, construction and commissioning of the CPF for the project known as the Associated Gas Upstream Project Phase 2 (AGUP2).
The aim of the AGUP2 project is to process oil and associated gas from the Ratawi oil field to increase production capacity to 210,000 barrels a day of oil and 154 million standard cubic feet a day of gas.
GGIP masterplan
The GGIP programme is being led by TotalEnergies, the operator, which holds a 45% stake.
Basra Oil Company and QatarEnergy hold 30% and 25% stakes, respectively. The consortium formalised the investment agreement with the Iraqi government in September 2021.
The four projects that comprise the GGIP are:
- The Common Seawater Supply Project (CSSP)
- The Ratawi gas processing complex
- A 1GW solar power project for Iraq’s electricity ministry
- A field development project at Ratawi, known as the Associated Gas Upstream Project (AGUP)
The CSSP is designed to support oil production in Iraq’s southern oil and gas fields – mainly Zubair, Rumaila, Majnoon, West Qurna and Ratawi – by delivering treated seawater for injection, a method used to boost crude recovery rates and improve long-term reservoir performance.
China Petroleum Engineering & Construction Corporation (CPECC) won a $1.61bn contract in May to execute EPC work for the gas processing complex at the Ratawi field development.
CPECC’s project team based in its Dubai office is performing detailed engineering work on the project.
In August last year, TotalEnergies awarded China Energy Engineering International Group the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the 1GW solar project at the Ratawi field. A month later, QatarEnergy signed an agreement with TotalEnergies to acquire a 50% interest in the project.
The 1GW Ratawi solar scheme will be developed in phases, with each phase coming online between 2025 and 2027. It will have the capacity to provide electricity to about 350,000 homes in Iraq’s Basra region.
The project, consisting of 2 million bifacial solar panels mounted on single-axis trackers, will include the design, procurement, construction and commissioning of the photovoltaic power station site and 132kV booster station.
Separately, in June, TotalEnergies awarded China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering an EPC contract worth $294m to build a pipeline as part of a package known as the Ratawi Gas Midstream Pipeline.
Also, TotalEnergies awarded UK-based consultant Wood Group a pair of engineering framework agreements in April, worth a combined $11m, under the GGIP scheme.
The agreements have a three-year term under which Wood will support TotalEnergies in advancing the AGUP.
One of the aims of the AGUP is to debottleneck and upgrade existing facilities to increase production capacity to 120,000 b/d of oil on completion of the first phase, according to a statement by Wood.
READ THE MAY 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDFGlobal energy sector forced to recalibrate; Conflict hits debt issuance and listings activity; UAE’s non-oil sector faces unclear recovery period amid disruption.
Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the May 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
> REGIONAL LNG: War undermines business case for Middle East LNG> CAPITAL MARKETS: Damage avoidance frames debt issuance> MARKET FOCUS: Conflict tests UAE diversificationTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16852654/main.png -
Abu Dhabi selects Yas Island site for $1.7bn Sphere venue
14 May 2026
Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture & Tourism (DCT Abu Dhabi) and US-based Sphere Entertainment have selected Yas Island as the location for the $1.7bn Sphere Abu Dhabi project.
The venue will be built on a plot between Yas Mall and SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, close to Yas Island’s theme parks and attractions. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2029. Dubai-listed Alec is understood to be the selected contractor and has been working on the project’s pre-construction phase.
The project will be the first Sphere venue outside the US. It is expected to echo the scale of Sphere Las Vegas, with a capacity of up to 20,000 depending on configuration.
DCT Abu Dhabi said it will coordinate enabling and infrastructure works with Abu Dhabi entities, including the Department of Municipalities & Transport and its Integrated Transport Centre, the Department of Energy, Taqa, Etihad Rail and Aldar. The scope includes road enhancements, site access and site-wide infrastructure integrated with surrounding Yas Island assets.
Sphere Abu Dhabi is the latest addition to Abu Dhabi’s integrated tourism and destination-development pipeline on Yas Island, alongside major attractions and the Disney theme park resort that was announced in 2025.
DCT and Sphere Entertainment finalised an agreement last year related to the construction, development and operation of the Sphere entertainment venue in Abu Dhabi. According to the agreement, Sphere Entertainment granted DCT the exclusive rights to build and operate the Sphere Abu Dhabi entertainment venue.
https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16837302/main.gif