LNG

QatarEnergy has pushed back the start of its LNG expansion project from mid- to late-2026. Any delay is, however, tightly constrained by long‑term offtake contracts that bind when LNG deliveries have to begin. 

Qatar is progressing to expand its LNG production from 77 million tonnes to 142 million tonnes per annum in-country, with QatarEnergy CEO Saad Al-Kaabi announcing the first new mega-train from the North Field LNG expansion programme is expected to come online by the third quarter of 2026.

By 2028, the Middle East envisages to add 60 mtpa of new LNG export capacity and developments will require more than $50 billion in capital spending, Rystad Energy forecasts. Qatar will lead the expansion with 48 mtpa alone through its North Field East and North Field South projects, the UAE will contribute 10 mtpa from the Ruwais LNG project, and TotalEnergies is developing the Marsa LNG project with a capacity of 1 mtpa in Oman.

The Arabian Gulf state of Qatar said it was going ahead with a third huge expansion project for liquefied natural gas called the North Field West (NFW) project to take overall output to 142 million tonnes per annum by the end of the decade.

Qatar Petroleum said the fabrication has been completed of the first two steel tubular structures required for offshore facilities as part of its North Field Expansion (NFE) project to increase Qatari output in a first stage to 110 million tonnes per annum of LNG from the current 77 MTPA.

Qatar Petroleum said it would now raise production capacity to 126 million tons per annum by 2027, an additional 16 MTPA from the previous expansion plan and a 64 percent increase on the current 77 MTPA of output at the Ras Laffan plant in the Gulf.

Qatar Petroleum has issued tender invitations for the engineering, procurement and construction of the four liquefied natural gas expansion mega-Trains planned for Ras Laffan as part of the project to liquefy and export an additional 31 million tonnes per annum of LNG.

Qatar Petroleum said all the contracts for the expansion project at the Ras Laffan complex would be awarded by the end of 2018 while the new 100 million tonnes per annum production target would be met by the end of 2023.

Qatar Petroleum is planning to begin liquefied natural gas production from its North Field expansion by the end of 2023 to reach 100 million tonnes per annum of output from its current 77 MTPA with three new liquefaction Trains and the possibility of a fourth additional Train to take output to 107.8 MTPA.

Total, the French oil and gas group, becomes the first western energy company to return to Iran with the signing of a $4.8 billion contract on July 3 with China National Petroleum Corp. and Iranian partners to develop the South Pars field that borders the feed-gas block in the Persian Gulf adjoining the territorial waters of Qatar, the largest LNG producer.