ADNOC has locked in another long-term buyer for its Ruwais LNG project after signing a 15-year sales and purchase agreement with INPEX Corporation for 1 million tonnes per annum of LNG, according to ADNOC.
The deal pushes committed volumes at the 9.6 mtpa project to more than 90% of planned capacity, with nearly 23% of output now tied to Japanese customers.
ADNOC said the agreement was announced on July 07, 2026, during a visit to Japan by Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, ADNOC managing director and group chief executive, and executive chairman of XRG.
It is the first long-term LNG contract announced after ADNOC and XRG launched their integrated global LNG marketing and trading platform.
Nasser Al Muhairi, acting chief executive of ADNOC Downstream Industry, Marketing & Trading and chairman of Ruwais LNG, said: “This SPA with INPEX marks the first long-term LNG agreement announced following the launch of ADNOC and XRG’s integrated global LNG marketing and trading platform, demonstrating how we are bringing more LNG molecules, greater market access and enhanced commercial flexibility to our customers. It builds on ADNOC’s decades-long energy partnership with Japan, advances the commercialization of Ruwais LNG and reinforces strong market confidence in the project. As ADNOC and XRG target 47 mtpa of combined marketable LNG by 2035, Ruwais LNG will be a key source of reliable, flexible and lower-carbon supply for customers in Asia and around the world.”
The LNG will be primarily sourced from Ruwais LNG, which is under development in Al Ruwais Industrial City in Abu Dhabi and is scheduled to start commercial operations in 2028. The plant is planned with two 4.8 mtpa liquefaction trains and combined capacity of 9.6 mtpa.
ADNOC Gas said in November 2024 that it expects to acquire ADNOC’s 60% stake in the project at cost, estimated at around $5bn, in 2028. ADNOC said the project would more than double ADNOC Gas’ existing operated LNG production capacity to around 15 mtpa. The plant is planned as the first LNG export facility in the Middle East and Africa region to operate on clean power and will use artificial intelligence and other technologies to support safety, efficiency and lower emissions.
For INPEX, the agreement fits with INPEX Vision 2035, announced in February 2025, under which the company aims to strengthen its LNG portfolio and supply LNG more flexibly alongside volumes from its own projects. INPEX also holds participating interests in a number of Abu Dhabi offshore and onshore concessions.
ADNOC is Abu Dhabi’s state-owned energy company, with activities across exploration, production, processing, refining, marketing and trading.
INPEX Corporation is a Japanese energy company focused on exploration, development and production of oil and natural gas, including LNG supply.