Japan’s Inpex is looking at ways to increase production by integrating its offshore Upper and Lower Zakum concessions in Abu Dhabi, the company’s CEO said.

“We have some plans to increase our production from Upper Zakum and Lower Zakum. Since Abu Dhabi has expressed that they are increasing the production to 5 million b/d [barrels a day], this will be a real challenging issue,” Inpex CEO Takayuki Ueda said on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference on 13 November.

“At this moment, I think we are waiting for perhaps new guidance to be provided from Adnoc. If that is provided to us, we will try to respond. At this moment, we are very much open to that,” Ueda said.

The Upper Zakum field is operated by the Zakum Development Company (Zadco), a concession which includes the US’ ExxonMobil (28 per cent) and Inpex (12 per cent). Adnoc holds 60 per cent of the concession. It is expected to produce 750,000 b/d early next year, with a target of 1 million b/d by 2024.

Inpex also has a 10 per cent stake in the Lower Zakum concession, along with China National Petroleum Corporation (10 per cent), France’s Total (5 per cent), Italy’s Eni (5 per cent), and an Indian consortium led by ONGC Videsh (10 per cent). Adnoc holds the controlling 60 per cent share.

Lower Zakum is Adnoc’s largest single offshore field producing around 400,000 b/d. Adnoc plans to raise this to 450,000 b/d by 2025.

As the only company with stakes in both concessions, Inpex has been busy carrying out a study to integrate the development of both fields.

“We have some advantage about such kind of integration, which I think will really contribute the production and the competitiveness of our production. The study has already opened. We are talking with the Adnoc people about incorporating the results of that study into our business model,” Ueda said.

The combined output from Lower and Upper Zakum will be a key part of Adnoc’s target of reaching a production capacity of 4.5 million b/d by 2025, and 5 million b/d by 2030 under its new expansion plans.