A slimmer, fitter Adnoc

With an eye on new paths being followed by NOCs in the neighbourhood, Abu Dhabi is injecting new energy into the firm

Things are changing at the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc). The top floor of its towering new office on the Corniche has been transformed into a Google-type open space. Adnoc, long staid and unambitious, has embarked on the difficult path of transformation into a modern, capable national oil company, a change essential for its host emirate and country. Adnoc has long been unusual amongst its peers. Firstly, given the UAE's federal structure, it doesn't operate fields across the whole country. It operates under the aegis of the Supreme Petroleum Council (SPC), not the federal Ministry of Energy, though the minister, Suhail al-Mazrouei, represents the UAE in Opec. Secondly, it never wen