Shock! UAE Leaves OPEC, Saudi Arabia Bears Heavy Burden in Maintaining Oil Price Stability
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced its departure from membership in the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the OPEC+ alliance. This decision has shocked the global energy market and delivered a major blow to the world’s oil cartel, especially amid ongoing geopolitical turmoil and energy crises.
The UAE government stated that the decision was taken to focus on national interests and long-term energy sector strategies. This policy will take effect on Friday, 1 May 2026.
“During our tenure in this organisation, we have made significant contributions and even greater sacrifices for the benefit of all. However, now is the time to focus our efforts on what our national interests demand,” the UAE government said in a written statement quoted from Al Jazeera on Wednesday, 29 April 2026.
The UAE’s exit has the potential to disrupt OPEC’s solidarity, which has long sought to maintain unity amid differing interests among member states, from geopolitical issues to production quotas. This is because the country is one of the long-standing members with the largest oil production capacity.
The UAE Minister of Energy, Suhail Mohamed al-Mazrouei, emphasised that the step to leave OPEC was taken after considering the current and future direction of energy policy. He stressed that the decision was purely from their side and involved no consultations or interventions from any other country.
“This is a policy decision taken after in-depth study of current and future production strategies,” said Suhail Mohamed al-Mazrouei.
At the same time, oil-producing countries in the Gulf region face distribution challenges due to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. Security threats to tanker ships have made energy shipments suboptimal.
Energy research firm Rystad Energy assesses that the UAE’s exit will reduce OPEC’s ability to maintain global oil price stability. The producers’ organisation will also lose a key member.
“Losing a member with a production capacity of 4.8 million barrels per day, along with ambitions to increase production, clearly diminishes an important tool for this group,” said Rystad Energy’s Head of Geopolitical Analysis, Jorge Leon.
This situation places the burden of maintaining oil price stability more heavily on Saudi Arabia. He added that the market is losing one of its important “shock absorbers” in facing supply disruptions.