National dominant and a way to project power, especially across emerg­ ing markets,” said Karen E. Young, a senior research scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University. That said, oil revenue continues to underpin Abu Dhabi’s econo­ my, underwriting around 62 per­ cent of government funding, ac­ cording to Oxford Economics. To extract more from Abu Dhabi’s resources, Mr. Al Jaber brought in new international companies like Occidental Pe­ troleum, Italy’s Eni and EOG Resources, an American shale driller, for their expertise in natural gas and other areas. He has also invested in artificial intelligence to fine-tune AD­ NOC’s operations. As fellow OPEC members like Venezuela and Nigeria have struggled to maintain production levels, the Emirates is one of the few with the money and ability to keep growing. Increasing output has beefed up the Emirates’ clout in the OPEC Plus producers group, helping it win increases in its production quota. In talks with other producers, there is always the implicit threat that the Emir­ ates, perhaps the most influen­ tial OPEC member after Saudi Arabia, will break ranks. The Emirates has raised its oil output more than 10 percent in the past two years, to 3.6 million barrels a day, according to the International Energy Agency. It is now the third-largest produc­ er in OPEC, after Saudi Arabia and Iraq. The production has increased even as Mr. Al Jaber has reduced ADNOC’s work force, which has around 50,000 employees, 15,000 fewer than in 2016. Wood Mackenzie, a consult­ ing firm, estimates that over the next decade, seven of the larger Western oil companies will col­ lectively see their production in the Emirates rise about a quar­ ter, making it their second-larg­ est source of oil and gas after the United States. ADNOC has raised billions in capital from institutional inves­ tors like Global Infrastructure Partners and KKR, through deals like selling interests in its pipeline network. Dealing with Wall Street firms created a needed culture shock, company executives say. Being challenged by tough-mind­ ed financiers at board meetings “increases the professionalism of people who had never been facing institutions like that,” said Klaus Froehlich, ADNOC’s chief investment officer. Influenced by the initial public offering of Saudi Arabia’s nation­ al oil company, Saudi Aramco, Mr. Al Jaber carved off six units of ADNOC for public markets, listing small chunks of them on the Abu Dhabi Securities Ex­ change, starting in 2017. “Representing a public corpo­ ration to investors and media is a novel experience for most of the chief executives,” Mr. Mills of Qamar Energy wrote in the newsletter Arabian Gulf Busi­ ness Insight. Copyright © 2026 by The New York Times Company. Reprinted with permission. For subscriptions to The New York Times, please call 1-800-NYTIMES. Visit us online at www.nytimes.com. For more information about reprints and licensing visit wrightsmedia.com. (2705711)