Adnoc's Decade-Old Contingency Plan Ensured Oil Flow Amidst Iran War

State-owned Adnoc revealed that a contingency plan, developed 10 to 15 years ago, was instrumental in maintaining oil production throughout the Iran war. "We actually prepared for this scenario in our playbooks 10 years ago, 15 years ago," stated Abdulmunim Al Kindy, a board director at Adnoc and chairman of the Abu Dhabi energy event Adipec, on Thursday. Al Kindy, formerly the executive director of Adnoc's upstream directorate, explained that the company made significant investments in backup facilities and interconnections. These allowed for flexible switching of supply sources and delivery destinations. "[We] built projects at great expense, even though at the time they didn’t make any commercial sense," he commented. "When the time came, we actually kept the lights on." The company's readiness was not limited to physical infrastructure; it also encompassed years of emergency drills and scenario planning, fostering what Al Kindy described as "almost muscle memory" among employees when the crisis occurred. Adnoc has boosted its oil production capacity by nearly 75% over the last decade, reaching 4.85 million barrels per day, with a target of five million bpd by 2027. In November, Adnoc approved a Dh551 billion ($150 billion) spending plan for 2026 to 2030 aimed at sustaining operations and expanding production capacity to meet growing global energy demand.

Al Kindy's remarks were made at a press conference preceding Adipec 2026, which Adnoc will host in Abu Dhabi from November 2 to 5. The event is taking place as energy security gains heightened importance due to recent disruptions in global oil and gas flows. "2026 has demonstrated a fundamental truth – energy security is economic stability," he asserted. The upcoming Adipec is expected to attract its largest Asian participation to date, featuring 353 companies and six national pavilions from China, India, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and South Korea. Organizers anticipate over 239,000 visitors from at least 170 countries, with international attendees making up 56% of the total. Three-quarters of the 2,250 exhibiting companies are projected to be from outside the UAE. The conference program includes over 16,500 delegates and 1,800 speakers across 13 sessions. Thomas Loffler, executive vice president at organiser dmg events, noted that rising electricity demand driven by artificial intelligence and industrial growth is increasingly linking "energy security, economic stability and competitiveness." The demand for exhibition space has led organizers to relocate the opening ceremony to the Abu Dhabi Energy Centre and expand the AI and robotics zone. Confirmed speakers include Suhail Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure; Katherina Reiche, Germany's Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy; Meg O'Neill, chief executive of BP; Richard Jackson, president and chief executive of Occidental Petroleum; Wael Sawan, chief executive of Shell; and Roland Busch, chief executive of Siemens. Last year's Adipec facilitated $53 billion in business deals through 49,131 transactions, marking the first time the value of agreements reached during the event was tracked. It also contributed $420 million to Abu Dhabi's hospitality and tourism economy, according to Loffler.