UAE quits OPEC and OPEC+
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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday (28 April) reportedly said it has quit the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and OPEC+.
UAE Energy Minister Suhail Mohamed al-Mazrouei told Reuters that the decision followed a thorough review of energy strategies across the region.
“This is a policy decision, it has been done after a careful look at current and future policies related to level of production,” he was quoted saying.
Jorge Leon, Head of Geopolitical Analysis of Rystad Energy, said: “OPEC and OPEC+ have only ever been as strong as the members’ willingness to hold barrels back from the market, and the UAE was one of those.
“Losing a member with 4.8 million barrels per day of capacity, and the ambition to produce more, takes a real tool out of the group’s hands.
“The timing tells you something about where the oil market is going.
“With demand nearing a peak, the calculation for producers with low-cost barrels is changing fast, and waiting your turn inside a quota system starts to look like leaving money on the table.
“Saudi Arabia is now left doing more of the heavy lifting on price stability, and the market loses one of the few shock absorbers it had left.”
The research company said the UAE’s withdrawal from OPEC and OPEC+, marked a significant shift for the oil-producer group.
Alongside Saudi Arabia, it is one of the few members with meaningful spare capacity, the mechanism through which the group exerts market influence and responds to supply shocks.
Its departure therefore removes one of the core pillars underpinning OPEC’s ability to manage the market.
“While near-term effects may be muted given ongoing disruption in the Strait of Hormuz and broader geopolitical uncertainty, the longer-term implications are more consequential,” it said.
“A structurally weaker OPEC, with less spare capacity concentrated within the group, will find it increasingly difficult to calibrate supply and stabilise prices.”
Photo credit: Saj Shafique on Unsplash
Published: 29 April, 2026
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