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ADNOC eyes cross-border opportunities
The Emirati company is ramping up its overseas expansion programme, taking it into new geographic areas that challenge long-held assumptions about Gulf NOCs
Saudi Arabia and Russia pull OPEC+ in different directions
The two oil heavyweights’ diverging fiscal considerations are straining unity within the group
Iraq seeks alternatives to Iranian gas
The country is facing energy shortfalls this summer amid reduced Iranian gas imports and difficulties leasing an FSRU
Saudi-US energy ties adapt to multipolar world
Saudi Arabia and US relations can construct a new ‘field of dreams’, but opportunism may be the new rules of the game
A new energy order in the UAE and Saudi Arabia
The two Gulf states are combining fossil fuel production with ambitions to become leaders in low-carbon energy
Letter from Saudi Arabia: Energy, diplomacy and the art of the deal
Saudi Arabia is growing as a geopolitical and diplomatic force amid an increasingly fractured world
Iraqis look north for progress
Two recent developments raise the prospect of a revival in northern Iraqi oil and gas fortunes, but familiar obstacles could thwart momentum
MENA NOCs secure influence in low-carbon future
Regional state-owned firms are transforming their strategies and leveraging their resources to position themselves as clean energy powerhouses, and to ensure they maintain influence in a low-carbon world
Aramco and ADNOC diverge on big petchems bet
The NOCs are both looking to take advantage of the petrochemicals boom, with the Saudi firm snapping up stakes in Asian JVs tied to offtake agreements and its Emirati counterpart striking big M&A deals
Turning potential into reality in Iraq
Decades of turmoil have left Iraq’s vast energy potential underutilised, but renewed investment and strategic reforms are transforming it into a key player in the region
Middle East is often viewed as an upstream powerhouse
Downstream Kuwait Iraq Oman Saudi Arabia
Paul Hickin,
Editor-in-chief
10 March 2023
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Middle East refiners primed for growth

Capacity additions set to take advantage of disruption to Russian diesel

A combination of new refineries and the expansion of existing facilities means the Middle East is well positioned to capitalise on the potential drop-off in diesel and fuel supply from Russia and the expected rise in global oil demand. While the Middle East is often viewed as an upstream powerhouse—being home to six Opec nations—it is starting to also become known as a major downstream hub too—with more than 50 refineries. “New grassroots refineries and expansion projects across the Middle East in 2023 and 2024 are expected to push the region’s total refinery capacity (crude distillation and condensate splitter) from 9.7mn bl/d in 2022 to 10.5mn bl/d in 2023 and 11.1mn bl/d in 2024,” says Im

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