What is the significance of the new natural gas field UAE has discovered? The discovery is expected to reduce the UAE’s dependence on gas supplies for electricity from Qatar, a nation with which it has had a bitter standoff since 2017 At 80 tscf, the new reservoir, named named ‘Jebel Ali’, would be ranked the fourth largest by size in the Middle East. On Monday (February 3), the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced it had discovered a new natural gas field with 80 trillion standard cubic feet (tscf) of shallow gas resources. The gas field discovery, reportedly the largest in the world since 2005, holds the potential of helping UAE’s gas self-sufficiency, reducing its reliance on neighbouring Qatar for the fuel. Why is the new gas field discovery in the UAE so significant? The reservoir, named ‘Jebel Ali’, is located between the emirates of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, which along with five other emirates form the UAE. According to officials, it spans around 5,000 square kilometres.