Ruwais, Abu Dhabi: The Refinery Town, Ruwais LNG and Licensing

Industry

The Ruwais Refinery was inaugurated in 1982 by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. ADNOC is developing Ruwais LNG in Al Ruwais Industrial City, with two liquefaction trains and a total export capacity of 9.6 million tonnes a year.^1,2

In 2018 ADNOC announced AED 165 billion of downstream investment in Ruwais over five years, including derivatives and conversion parks for manufacturers that use its products.³

The city

Ruwais City is a 6.9-square-kilometre community next to the industrial complex. In 2018 ADNOC was building more than 3,000 homes to take it past 10,000 housing units, and the city had eight schools and universities. Together with Madinat Zayed it is where most of Al Dhafra's people live.^3,4

The housing and investment figures come from ADNOC's 2018 plan; ask ADNOC or Abu Dhabi authorities for current numbers before relying on them.³

Setting up

Setting up
Item	Who
Mainland licences	Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED)
Chamber of commerce	Abu Dhabi Chamber

Source: UAE Government Portal: Steps to start a business on the mainland; UAE Government Portal: National Economic Register, business licensing authorities; UAE Government Portal: Accessing services for mainland companies^5,6,7

Al Dhafra follows Abu Dhabi's rules: membership of the Abu Dhabi Chamber is required, licence documents must be in Arabic, and applications can be made at ADDED and TAMM branches.⁸

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Ruwais?

Ruwais is on the Gulf coast of Al Dhafra, about 245 km west of Abu Dhabi city, around the ADNOC Ruwais Refinery. Mainland businesses there are licensed by the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development.

Sources

Figures checked 23 October 2026. Prepared by Invest-Emirates.ae for general information. Figures come from the sources listed.

Ruwais