Emirate must decide whether oil partners are worth keeping

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The production of oil in Abu Dhabi has always been a group effort.

International oil companies such as Shell and ExxonMobil deploy engineers in the emirate’s oil fields and help build the pipes and wells that generate the country’s wealth, in return for minority ownership stakes in subsidiaries of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).

But the Government faces a momentous decision as the expiry of concessions that form the basis of those partnerships nears: should it stick with modified agreements or abandon the international partners altogether?