ADNOC Signs 15-Year Ruwais LNG Deal With INPEX and Launches 47 MTPA Trading Platform as Asia Seeks Supply Security

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company executed three linked commercial moves in 48 hours this week, positioning itself as a top-tier global LNG supplier before its next major terminal opens in 2028. The sequence began July 6 with a new unified trading platform and concluded July 7 with a 15-year supply deal with Japan's INPEX and a strategic partnership with trading house Mitsui.

New Platform Consolidates ADNOC's LNG Commercial Arms

On July 6, 2026, ADNOC launched an integrated global LNG marketing and trading platform in Abu Dhabi Global Market. The hub combines the marketing activities of ADNOC Gas and XRG with the trading capabilities of ADNOC Trading into one commercial entity. Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Managing Director and Group CEO, stated the platform "will further position ADNOC to meet the world's growing demand for energy." The new structure targets 47 million tonnes per annum of combined marketable LNG by 2035. It draws on a fleet of 20 LNG vessels, including 14 dual-fuel carriers.

XRG is ADNOC's international energy investment vehicle, handling cross-border LNG, chemicals, and energy transactions beyond the UAE's borders. Consolidating it with ADNOC Gas and ADNOC Trading gives buyers a single commercial counterparty for ADNOC's full LNG portfolio. Rashid Al Mazrouei was appointed Chief Marketing and Origination Officer to lead the combined equity LNG portfolios for both entities.

INPEX Signs 15-Year Agreement for Ruwais LNG

On July 7, ADNOC signed a 15-year sales and purchase agreement with INPEX Corporation for 1 million tonnes per annum of LNG from the Ruwais LNG project. INPEX is Japan's largest exploration and production company. Nasser Al Muhairi stated the agreement "marks the first long-term LNG agreement announced following the launch" of the new trading platform.

Ruwais LNG consists of two liquefaction trains, each rated at 4.8 mtpa, for a combined capacity of 9.6 mtpa. Commercial operations are scheduled for 2028. The INPEX deal lifts long-term commitments past 90% of total project capacity. Japanese buyers now hold approximately 23% of committed Ruwais volumes.

The uncommitted tranche for spot or shorter-term deals stands at under 960,000 tonnes per year. That is less than 10% of total 9.6 mtpa capacity, making Ruwais effectively fully contracted before operations begin. The facility will also be the first LNG export terminal in the Middle East and Africa region powered entirely by clean electricity.

Mitsui Partnership Spans Crude, Chemicals, and Shipping

Also signed July 7, ADNOC and XRG entered a Strategic Collaboration Agreement with Mitsui and Co. Ltd. The agreement covers LNG sales and optimization, crude oil long-term supply, sulfur procurement, shipping for LNG and ammonia, and lower-carbon chemicals including methanol from the TA'ZIZ industrial complex at Ruwais. Kenichiro Yamaguchi of Mitsui said the deal "reaffirms commitment to the UAE and paves the way for stronger partnership across energy and chemicals."

The relationship extends beyond LNG. ADNOC supplies approximately one-third of Japan's crude oil imports, making Japan the cornerstone Asian market for Abu Dhabi's full upstream and downstream complex. The Mitsui agreement extends that crude relationship into sulfur, ammonia, and lower-carbon commodity streams.

Asian Supply Security Backdrop

Asian LNG spot prices reached $16.07 per MMBtu in late June when Strait of Hormuz shipping disruptions cut Middle East supply to Pacific buyers, forcing Pakistan to scramble for emergency cargoes after a Qatari delivery was canceled. That episode showed the cost of relying on short-term spot cargoes from a Hormuz-dependent supply chain. ADNOC's 15-year deal with INPEX provides the kind of long-term certainty that buyers sought in that period, though Ruwais LNG exports will still transit the Strait of Hormuz once the terminal opens in 2028.

Three Moves, One Commercial Strategy

Wire reports treated the INPEX deal, the Mitsui collaboration, and the platform launch as three separate announcements. Each is one component of the same plan. The platform creates the commercial vehicle, and the INPEX deal is the first contract booked on it. The Mitsui collaboration seeds the shipping and commodity integration that gives the platform trading scale. Together, the three moves reduce merchant risk for Ruwais LNG to near zero before the facility produces its first cargo.