The agreement was announced during a visit to Japan by Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Managing Director and Group CEO of ADNOC, and Executive Chairman of XRG, where he is leading a delegation for meetings with senior Japanese government and business leaders to reinforce the UAE-Japan energy partnership and build on more than six decades of cooperation.

"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," said Nasser Al Muhairi, Acting CEO of ADNOC Downstream Industry, Marketing & Trading, and Chairman of Ruwais LNG.

"The agreement builds on ADNOC’s decades-long energy partnership with Japan, advances the commercialisation 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," he added.

The agreement reinforces the long-standing partnership between ADNOC and INPEX and supports INPEX Vision 2035, unveiled in February 2025, which aims to expand the company's LNG portfolio and enhance the flexibility of its LNG supply alongside production from its own projects.

INPEX has also remained a long-standing upstream partner of ADNOC, holding stakes in several offshore and onshore concessions across Abu Dhabi.

The LNG will be primarily sourced from the Ruwais LNG project, which is under development in Al Ruwais Industrial City, Abu Dhabi, and is scheduled to start commercial operations in 2028.

The SPA marks another milestone in ADNOC’s global LNG expansion strategy and reinforcing the company’s position as a leading global supplier of lower-carbon LNG.

To date, 90 percent of the Ruwais LNG project’s 9.6 mtpa production capacity has been committed to international buyers across Asia and Europe through long-term arrangements.

The Ruwais LNG plant will be the first LNG export facility in the Middle East and Africa region to operate on clean power, making it one of the lowest-carbon intensity LNG plants in the world. The facility will leverage artificial intelligence and the latest technologies to enhance safety and efficiency, minimize emissions and drive operational excellence.

ADNOC Gas announced in November 2024 that it expects to acquire ADNOC’s 60 percent stake in the Ruwais LNG project at cost, estimated at around $5 billion, in 2028. Upon completion, the project, comprising two 4.8 mtpa liquefaction trains with a combined capacity of 9.6 mtpa, will more than double ADNOC Gas’ existing operated LNG production capacity to around 15 mtpa.