In 1970, Abu Dhabi had a valuable resource it was still burning.
Associated gas produced alongside oil was routinely flared.
Then came a directive from Sheikh Zayed: stop unnecessary flaring and find value in the gas.
Three years later, ADNOC LNG was established.
By 1977, Das Island was exporting LNG.
Today, it is the world’s third-longest-operating LNG facility.
THE NUMBERS BEHIND DAS
- 1970 - directive issued to cease unnecessary gas flaring
- 1973 - LNG joint venture established: ADNOC 70%, Mitsui 15%, BP 10%, Total Energies 5%
- 1977 - first gas production and first LNG shipment to TEPCO
- 1993 - Train 3 delivers major capacity expansion
- 3 LNG trains operating today
- 6 MTPA LNG liquefaction capacity
- LNG cooled below −160°C
- 3,500+ LNG cargoes shipped since 1977
- Products today include LNG, LPG, paraffinic naphtha and sulfur
- Nearly five decades of continuous LNG operation
But Das didn't simply survive. It kept changing jobs.
FROM LNG ISLAND TO GAS HUB
In 2009, the Integrated Gas Development project began.
The objective was different from 1977: move offshore gas through Das Island back toward Abu Dhabi's domestic economy.
By 2013, infrastructure was moving 1 BSCFD of high-pressure gas from Umm Shaif, through Das, to Habshan.
Then came expansion.
IGD-E1 added 400 MMSCFD, lifting offshore processing capacity to 1.4 BSCFD.
IGD-E2 adds another 370 MMSCFD, taking gas export capacity toward 1.97 BSCFD.
That is a fascinating reversal.
Das was built to export Abu Dhabi's gas to the world.
It later carried offshore gas back onshore to support Abu Dhabi's growth.
AND THE ASSET IS STILL EVOLVING
A new 85 km subsea gas pipeline from Lower Zakum to Das Island has added another connection into the hub.
In 2026, ADNOC approved $6.2 billion for the Umm Shaif Gas Cap development, targeting 600+ MMSCFD of gas and associated liquids by 2030.
Das LNG is still writing its next export chapter.
From 2026, it is contracted to supply up to 0.52 MTPA to GAIL under a 10-year agreement. A separate 14-year IndianOil agreement is valued at approximately $7–9 billion.
1970: Stop flaring the gas.
1977: Export it as LNG.
1993: Expand liquefaction.
2013: Connect offshore gas to the onshore network.
2026: Supply another generation of global LNG customers.
2030: Umm Shaif brings another major wave of gas production.
Das Island didn't simply turn flared gas into LNG.
It became a bridge between offshore production, LNG exports, domestic gas supply and the UAE's next generation of gas development.
Nearly 50 years later, Das is still evolving.
That is the engineering lesson: critical infrastructure doesn't remain relevant simply because it lasts. It remains relevant because it evolves.
