Suhail Mohamed al-Mazrouei
UAE Minister of Energy since 2017; orchestrated the country's OPEC exit on 1 May 2026.
Last refreshed: 29 April 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Who is the UAE minister who ended the country's 59-year OPEC membership?
Timeline for Suhail Mohamed al-Mazrouei
Announced UAE's OPEC exit on 28 April, citing Hormuz blockage
Iran Conflict 2026: UAE quits OPEC effective 1 May- Who is Suhail al-Mazrouei?
- Suhail Mohamed al-Mazrouei is the UAE's Minister of Energy and Infrastructure since 2017. He announced the UAE's withdrawal from OPEC on 28 April 2026.Source: UAE government
- Why did the UAE energy minister pull out of OPEC?
- Al-Mazrouei cited OPEC's refusal to raise the UAE's production quota ceiling to reflect its actual spare capacity, a dispute that had been running for years before the 2026 exit.Source: UAE Energy Ministry
- Where did Suhail al-Mazrouei study?
- Al-Mazrouei holds a petroleum engineering degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).Source: UAE government
Background
Suhail Mohamed Faraj al-Mazrouei announced the UAE's withdrawal from OPEC on 28 April 2026, effective 1 May, in a statement that sent Brent Crude above $111/barrel. He cited the organisation's failure to accommodate the UAE's updated production capacity as the decisive reason, ending a 59-year membership.
Born in 1973, al-Mazrouei holds a petroleum engineering degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He has served as the UAE's Minister of Energy and Infrastructure since 2017, previously holding senior roles at ADNOC. In that role he has been a persistent advocate for raising the UAE's OPEC production baseline, arguing that new field developments and pipeline investments have extended the country's real spare capacity well above its assigned ceiling.
Al-Mazrouei also chairs the board of the Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA) and sits on the ADNOC board. His technical background and close ties to Abu Dhabi's energy establishment make him one of the Gulf's most influential energy policy voices. The OPEC withdrawal is the most consequential decision of his ministerial career.
