The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company or ADNOC is the state-owned oil company of the United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...

 (UAE). It is considered to be the world's fourth largest oil company with access to country's oil and gas reserves

Oil reserves

The total estimated amount of oil in an oil reservoir, including both producible and non-producible oil, is called oil in place. However, because of reservoir characteristics and limitations in petroleum extraction technologies, only a fraction of this oil can be brought to the surface, and it is...

, (137 Goilbbl of oil as of June 2007).

Operations

ADNOC is one of the world's leading companies by oil reserves. The company operates two oil refineries which are Ruwais

Ruwais

Al Ruwais is a town located some 240 kilometers west of Abu Dhabi city. The Ruwais industrial and housing complex has been developed by ADNOC as a major contributor to the national economy and represents a series of multi-million-dollar investments by the company...

 and Umm Al Nar. ADNOC has 14 subsidiary companies, both on upstream

Upstream (oil industry)

The oil and gas industry is usually divided into three major components: Upstream, midstream and downstream, though midstream operations are usually included in the downstream category....

 and downstream

Downstream (oil industry)

The petroleum industry is usually divided into three major components: Upstream, midstream and downstream. Midstream operations are usually included in the downstream category....

.

ADNOC is developing both onshore and offshore gas fields. Natural gas is exported in the form of liquefied natural gas

Liquefied natural gas

Liquefied natural gas or LNG is natural gas that has been converted temporarily to liquid form for ease of storage or transport....

 (LNG) and supplied for local electricity

Electricity

Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...

 and water utilities, to other industries including petrochemical plants and for re-injection into reservoirs to improve oil and condensate production.

ADNOC is the eighth largest recipient of US federal contract dollars, receiving a total of $918,256,500 in 2008 alone.

Subsidiaries

As a fully integrated oil & gas company ADNOC operations fulfill every aspect of process in the petroleum industry. These process are then divided into sixteen subsidiaries, listed below:

• Exploration and Production Of Oil & Gas:
  • Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Exploration ADCO - oil exploration, production and export from onshore oilfields.
  • Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company (ADMA-OPCO) - offshore oil and gas production
  • Zakum Development Company (ZADCO) - oil production of the upper Zakum field
• Exploration and Production Services:
  • National Drilling Company (NDC) - offshore and onshore drilling
  • ESNAAD - production and marketing of mud chemicals, material handling services, waste management
    Waste management
    Waste management is the collection, transport, processing or disposal,managing and monitoring of waste materials. The term usually relates to materials produced by human activity, and the process is generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, the environment or aesthetics...
    
    , chemical blending and manufacture
  • Abu Dhabi Petroleum Ports Operating Company (IRSHAD) - operations of oil exporting ports such as Ruwais and Jebel Dhanna
• Oil and Gas Processing:
  • Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd (GASCO)
    GASCO
    Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd is a natural gas company of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, UAE. It is a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company , which owns 68% of its shares. Shell owns 15%, Total S.A. 15%, and Partex 2%. The company is managed by Mohammed Sahoo Al Suwaidi.- History :GASCO was...
    
     - production and operation of Liquefied gas products
  • Abu Dhabi Gas Ltd (ADGAS) - processing, marketing and distribution of liquefied petroleum gas and liquefied natural gas
  • Abu Dhabi Gas Development Company Ltd (Al Hosn Gas) - development of sour gas reservoirs located in Shah field
  • Abu Dhabi Oil Refining Company (TAKREER) - refining of crude oil, production of chlorine
    Chlorine
    Chlorine is the chemical element with atomic number 17 and symbol Cl. It is the second lightest halogen, found in the periodic table in group 17. The element forms diatomic molecules under standard conditions, called dichlorine...
    
     and related chemicals, sulphur granulation
• Chemicals and Petrochemicals:
  • Ruwais Fertilizer Industry (FERTIL) - production and marketing of urea
    Urea
    Urea or carbamide is an organic compound with the chemical formula CO2. The molecule has two —NH2 groups joined by a carbonyl functional group....
    
     and ammonia
    Ammonia
    Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . It is a colourless gas with a characteristic pungent odour. Ammonia contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by serving as a precursor to food and fertilizers. Ammonia, either directly or...
    
     in the Ruwais plant
  • Abu Dhabi Polymers Company Ltd (Borouge)
    Borouge
    Borouge, a manufacturer of polyoleofins, was founded in 1998, and is a joint venture of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and Austria's Borealis...
    
     - processing and production of ethylene
    Ethylene
    Ethylene is a gaseous organic compound with the formula . It is the simplest alkene . Because it contains a carbon-carbon double bond, ethylene is classified as an unsaturated hydrocarbon. Ethylene is widely used in industry and is also a plant hormone...
    
     and polyethylene
    Polyethylene
    Polyethylene or polythene is the most widely used plastic, with an annual production of approximately 80 million metric tons...
    
    
  • ADNOC Linde Industrial Gases Company Ltd (ELIXIER)- supply of industrial gases for oil, gas and petrochemical companies
• Maritime Transportation:
  • Abu Dhabi National Tanker Company (ADNATCO) - transportation of crude oil and refined products
  • National Gas Shipping Company (NGSCO) - shipments of liquefied gas products from Das Island
    Das Island
    Das Island is an island in the Persian Gulf near Qatar. It is part of the emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates but lies well offshore, about north-west of the mainland. It covers approximately by , and is almost rectangular in shape....
    
    
• Refined Products Distribution:
  • ADNOC distribution - distribution, storage and transport of refined products

Supreme Petroleum Council

The Supreme Petroleum Council

Supreme Petroleum Council

The Supreme Petroleum Council is the highest governing body of oil, gas and similar industry related activities in the Abu Dhabi. The Council was formed in 1988. The Council is tasked with supervising all oil and gas companies that operate in Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates...

 acts as the board of directors

Board of directors

A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...

for ADNOC.