High oil prices have spurred investment in reserves
Gulf oil producers dust off costlier projects
The market upswing is driving investment in untapped reserves and field redevelopments previously considered commercially unviable
Oil price booms typically spur investment in reserves with challenging economics. And the current boom is proving no different, despite intensified global decarbonisation pressures. The Mideast Gulf’s leading producers, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, resumed spending on key development projects almost as soon as the recovery took hold early last year. Now with prices at eight-year highs and showing scant prospect of receding soon, the region’s smaller players are also investing anew while mothballed schemes with relatively high breakeven costs are back on the agenda. In March, state-owned QatarEnergy (QE) awarded a contract to Netherlands-based Fugro to “de-risk” the long-delayed redevelopment of
Also in this section
13 March 2026
Brussels is again weighing a cap on gas prices amid the Hormuz crisis, but the measure could backfire by deterring the LNG cargoes Europe urgently needs
12 March 2026
Emergency oil stocks provide a last line of defence to oil market shocks, so the IEA’s unprecedented 400m bl release represents something of a double-edged sword
12 March 2026
LPG could rapidly expand access to clean cooking across Africa and prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths from indoor air pollution each year, but infrastructure shortages and regulatory barriers are slowing investment and market growth
11 March 2026
Missiles over Dubai and disruption in Hormuz are testing the emirate’s reputation—and shaking the energy hub at the centre of the Gulf economy
