Long-term demand for LNG will continue to rise, Adnoc Gas CEO says

Show caption: Fatema Al Nuaimi, chief executive of Adnoc Gas, speaking at …

Constant development of more data centres to power AI will spur additional demand, says Fatema Al Nuaimi

• Global demand for LNG is projected to grow by 65 per cent by 2050, reaching nearly 700 million tonnes annually, according to Shell's latest outlook.
• Disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has shut in around one fifth of the world's monthly LNG supply since conflict began in February.
• AI infrastructure development is emerging as a significant new driver of energy demand, with approximately 9.5 million tonnes of LNG required for SpaceX alone.
• Adnoc Gas signed a five-year agreement to supply up to 1.6 million tonnes of LNG to TotalEnergies, expanding its share of the global market.
• "Contracts are very rigid, written with terms and conditions, and no matter how you craft them, they are not fit for different circumstances," Adnoc Gas chief executive Fatema Al Nuaimi said.

Demand for gas will continue to rise as the world requires more energy to power the development of artificial intelligence, the chief executive of Adnoc Gas has said.

Severe disruption to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz has shut down about one fifth of the world’s monthly liquefied natural gas supply since the Middle East conflict started in February, adversely affecting some countries in Asia, Shell said in its latest LNG outlook.

But Fatema Al Nuaimi told Adipec on Tuesday: “Gas is going to continue to grow and demand is going to continue in the long-term.”

Ras Laffan in Qatar, the world's largest LNG refinery, was severely damaged by Iranian missile attacks. QatarEnergy declared long-term force majeure on contracts with buyers in China, South Korea, Italy and Belgium.

However, global demand for LNG is projected to increase by around 65 per cent by 2050, to nearly 700 million tonnes a year, Shell said in its report.

A key driver for growth comes with the rising development of new data centres to power AI technology.

“We have these new demand hubs from AI … about 9.5 million tonnes of LNG required just for SpaceX,” Ms Al Nuaimi said. “We are an ambitious nation when it comes to building AI hubs to attract the biggest names in artificial intelligence and for this to be materialised, energy is required.”

Abu Dhabi is investing heavily in AI infrastructure to support the growth of the technology. Among the projects is the 1-gigawatt Stargate UAE project being developed by Abu Dhabi-based AI company G42 in partnership with technology giants OpenAI, Oracle and Nvidia. It will lie within the 5GW UAE-US AI Campus in Abu Dhabi.

⁠Ms Al Nuaimi called for flexibility and co-operation in ​managing gas contracts to adapt to changing market conditions. “Contracts are very rigid, written with terms and conditions, and no matter how you craft them, they are not fit for different circumstances that face us in the market. So it's important for us to be flexible and to work together eventually.”

Adnoc Gas on Tuesday announced the singing of a five-year agreement to supply up to 1.6 million tonnes of LNG to France's TotalEnergies, as the Abu Dhabi company expands its share of the global market.

The agreement comes as Adnoc scales up a new global LNG trading platform that combines the marketing activities of Adnoc Gas and investment arm XRG with the commercial capabilities of Adnoc Trading.

Adnoc Gas supplies about 60 per cent of the UAE’s sales gas needs as well as end customers in more than 20 countries.

Updated:

November 03, 2026, 11:37 AM