The United Arab Emirates said on Wednesday it will withdraw from Opec after more than five decades and leave the wider Opec+ alliance, a break with the oil bloc that comes as the group prepares to meet in Vienna. The announcement marks a sharp turn for one of the cartel’s most important producers and sets the UAE on a separate path just as it plans to push output higher.
Suhail Al Mazrouei said the decision reflects a policy-driven evolution aligned with long-term market fundamentals. In remarks carried by Wam, he said the UAE had carried out a comprehensive review of its production policy and its current and future capacity, and that the move was based on the country’s national interest. He also thanked Opec and its member countries for decades of constructive cooperation, while saying the UAE remains committed to energy security, reliable and lower-carbon supply, and stable global markets.
The scale of the shift is easier to grasp in the numbers. The UAE has said its non-oil economy now accounts for roughly 75 per cent of GDP, and it has set out an ambition to raise crude production from 3.4 million barrels per day to five million by 2027. That makes the country’s energy strategy look less like a tactical adjustment than a broader rewrite of its place in the market.
That rewrite arrives at a sensitive moment for producers. In recent years, Opec has tried to trim output to support prices, while Wam said underlying trends point to sustained growth in global energy demand over the medium to long term. A UAE energy industry source called it “the right time to leave Opec,” saying the decision would be “good for consumers and good for the world” because spare capacity is at a historical low after disruptions in the Arabian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. The same source said the UAE would help bring more supply to markets and lower prices.
The unresolved question is not whether Abu Dhabi wants more room to maneuver. It is how much that new freedom will change the balance inside the oil market. Wam said the UAE will keep investing across the energy value chain, including oil, gas, renewables and low-carbon solutions, and will continue to support investors, customers and partners. For Opec, the loss of a long-time member matters because the UAE has chosen flexibility over discipline, and it has now said plainly where its priorities lie.
