On May 3, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) signed a long-term liquefied natural gas (LNG) agreement with China ENN and Zhenhua Petroleum, respectively. Among them, the 15-year long-term purchase and sale agreement with ENN Natural Gas Co., Ltd. for an annual supply of 1 million tons of LNG is the largest single contract in the history of China-Arab energy cooperation. This is not only a further upgrade of the energy ties between the Middle East and the Gulf region and China, but also marks a strategic leap from "oil and gas trading" to "deep binding of the whole industry chain" between the two sides.

ENN said on its official WeChat account on Saturday that under the agreement, ADNOC will supply about 1 million tonnes of LNG annually to ENN for a period of 15 years. This is the largest ever LNG agreement signed by the UAE with a Chinese partner. The core highlight of the signing is the "super long-term agreement" between ENN and ADNOC - according to the agreement, ADNOC will supply 1 million tons of LNG per year from the Ruwais LNG project in the United Arab Emirates to ENN from 2026 for 15 years, with a total supply of 15 million tons. This figure is more than three times the volume of China-Arab LNG trade in 2024, and it also sets a new record for the size of a single LNG import agreement between Chinese private enterprises.

ADNOC's choice is not accidental: ENN is a leading company in China's city gas field, with business covering 25 provinces across the country and serving 27 million household users, and there is an urgent need for a stable supply of clean energy. As the world's seventh-largest natural gas reserves, the UAE is committed to transforming its resource advantages into long-term cooperation advantages.

As the first self-operated LNG export facility in the UAE, the Ruwais LNG project is expected to exceed 15 million mt/year by 2027, and the agreement is equivalent to locking in 1/15 of the long-term production capacity of the project, providing solid market support for ADNOC's "2030 growth strategy".

In addition, ADNOC has entered into a five-year agreement with Zhenhua Petroleum to transport and deliver up to 12 consignments of LNG annually starting in 2026, and Zhenhua Petroleum is currently constructing its first LNG terminal in Rudong, Jiangsu Province, eastern China, which is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2026.

According to industry sources, ADNOC has also signed an LNG agreement with CNOOC Gas & Power Group Co., Ltd., and ADNOC managing director and group CEO Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber recently visited China and announced the opening of an office in Beijing.

The opening of Jaber's office in Beijing is a testament to China's commitment to the Chinese market: "We are not only an energy supplier, but also a strategic partner in China's energy transition. The office will focus on end-market development, and plans to explore with Chinese companies in the fields of natural gas power generation, hydrogen energy storage and transportation, and carbon capture, and promote the upgrading of cooperation from "selling resources" to "selling technology and services".

China's purchases of U.S. LNG fell to zero in March, data released by China's General Administration of Customs on Sunday showed.(This article is from the official website of Seetao www.seetao.com. Reprinting without permission is strictly prohibited. Please indicate Seetao.com + original link when reprinting) Seetao.com Strategy Column Editor/Sun Fengjuan