The UAE has awarded a concession agreement to develop the Bab Gas ⁠Cap project to Adnoc and its international ‌partners, as the country moves towards achieving gas self-sufficiency. The agreement was awarded by Abu ​Dhabi's ​Supreme ​Council for Financial ⁠and Economic ⁠Affairs, as the emirate seeks to expand its oil and gas production capacity.State-controlled energy major Adnoc will hold a 60 per cent participating interest in the mega hydrocarbons project, with expected production capacity of 1.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day, Abu Dhabi Media Office said in a statement. France’s TotalEnergies and British energy major BP will hold 10 per cent each interest in Bab Gas Cap. China’s CNPC ⁠International will retain an 8 per cent interest while Jodco ⁠Onshore, China ZhenHua Oil, and Korea GS E&P will hold 5 per cent, 4 per cent and 3 per cent interest, respectively. The Bab Gas Cap project is in line with TotalEnergies' upstream strategy by adding low-cost, low-emissions resources with significant potential for production growth, Patrick Pouyanne, chairman and chief executive of TotalEnergies, said in a separate statement.Bab Gas Cap is the largest gas cap development project of its kind in the world, which reinforces the UAE’s role as a “trusted destination for long-term global investment and a reliable energy supplier”, the media office said. A gas cap is a natural accumulation of pressurised gas that sits on top of an oil deposit within a reservoir. The Bab Gas Cap accounts for about 15 per cent of Adnoc Gas’ total operational gas processing capacity. “This underscores the strategic significance of the project, which is expected to contribute to the UAE's gas self-sufficiency, support the continued development of the country's petrochemicals sector and advance Adnoc’s plans to expand its liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capacity,” the media office said. Adnoc Gas, a unit of Adnoc, which has access to 95 per cent of the UAE's natural gas reserves, is looking to boost exports of products including LNG, liquefied petroleum gas and naphtha.Its customers in the Emirates include utilities and industrial companies, which are supplied commercial quantities through an extensive network of pipelines.The UAE is accelerating efforts to achieve total natural gas self-sufficiency by 2030, as part of efforts to cut its reliance on pipeline imports. Global demand for gas is growing, with the Middle East, which has 40 per cent of the world’s gas resources, experiencing the highest growth in output of any region, according to a Wood Mackenzie report.The consultancy expects natural gas production across the Middle East to more than double to 98 billion cubic feet per day by 2030, from about 45 bcfd in 2010.The UAE, which exited from Opec earlier this year to pursue its ambition to raise its production capacity, is investing heavily in the hydrocarbons sector.In November, Adnoc's board approved capital investments of Dh551 billion ($150 billion) for the 2026-2030 period to maintain the company's growth and operational process.In May, Adnoc said it will award Dh200 billion in project contracts over the next three years, accelerating a construction push across upstream and downstream operations.