The United Arab Emirates has formally exited OPEC and OPEC+, a move that took effect on Friday. Sultan Al Jaber, the UAE's industry and advanced technology minister and CEO of ADNOC, said the decision was not directed against any country. He described it as a sovereign move to align energy strategy with national economic priorities. The UAE, OPEC's fourth-largest producer, has long disagreed with production quotas that capped its output at 3.4 million barrels per day. Abu Dhabi aims to increase the country's oil production capacity to five million barrels a day by 2027. On Sunday, ADNOC committed $55 billion to new projects over the next two years. Al Jaber spoke at the Make It In The Emirates conference in Abu Dhabi on Monday. He said the exit supports long-term industrial and developmental goals. The decision follows months of tension with Saudi Arabia over oil output, foreign policy, and the Middle East war. Analysts say the rift deepened after a public dispute in December over Yemen. The UAE's departure weakens OPEC's influence on global oil pricing. Al Jaber stated the move was part of a broader plan to link energy, technology, and industry. "This move was not done in isolation," he said. "There is a great difference between those who focus only on surviving crises… and those who seize them as opportunities… and turn them into new beginnings."
Sultan Al Jaber claims the UAE's OPEC exit serves national interests, yet the move follows a public rift with Saudi Arabia over oil and foreign policy. The push to raise oil output to five million barrels a day by 2027 directly challenges OPEC's quota system the UAE once agreed to. ADNOC's $55 billion investment plan benefits from freed production limits. This repositions the UAE as a self-directed energy player, not a cartel follower.
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