UAE oil firm ADNOC announced on Feb. 3 a gas discovery off Abu Dhabi, the first from the emirate's offshore exploration concessions.

Interim results from the first exploration well in the Block 2 concession, operated by Italy's ENI, indicate between 1.5 and 2 trillion standard cubic feet (TSCF) of raw gas in place, ADNOC said in a statement.

A consortium led by ENI and PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited (PTTEP) were awarded the exploration rights for Offshore Block 2 in 2019 as part of ADNOC's debut competitive block bid round.

"The discovery of material natural gas resources in Offshore Block 2 underscores how ADNOC's expanded approach to strategic partnerships is enabling us to accelerate the exploration and development of Abu Dhabi's untapped hydrocarbon resources," Sultan al-Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and ADNOC Group CEO, said in the statement.

ADNOC launched Abu Dhabi's first and second competitive block bid rounds in 2018 and 2019 respectively.