The UAE is ramping up drilling new wells and is on course to produce 5 million barrels a day before 2027, achieving its capacity goal ahead of schedule, Bloomberg reported on Friday.

The state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC) is anticipated to reach the daily target output by the end of 2025 or early 2026, beating the 2027 goal the company had set, the news agency said, citing sources with knowledge of the firm’s operations.

The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies have been limiting production as part of a strategy to boost prices.

With the UAE hitting its oil capacity target earlier than expected, there could be potential friction among the world’s major producers.

The UAE capital is currently producing at about two-thirds of its capability. ADNOC had previously set an output target of 5 million barrels a day by 2030 and later brought the timeline forward to 2027.

“The UAE is not doing this to generate spare capacity, they’re investing to produce this stuff,” Bloomberg quoted Ben Cahill, a senior fellow in the Center for Strategic and International Studies, as saying.

“There’s a tension that is emerging and will be with us for some time within OPEC+.”

(Writing by Cleofe Maceda; editing by Seban Scaria) seban.scaria@lseg.com