DOHA: Minister of State for Energy Affairs and President and CEO of QatarEnergy HE Saad bin Sherida Al Kaabi underlined that the pioneering North Field Expansion project represents a quantum leap in strengthening the leadership of the State of Qatar in the energy field.
In his speech during the project's foundation stone laying ceremony on Tuesday, His Excellency said that the expansion reflects the goals of optimal investment of Qatar's natural resources and its commitment to providing the world with a cleaner source of energy, over the course of decades.
TheNorth Field expansion project will raise the State of Qatar's LNG production capacity from the current 77 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) to 126 MTPA by 2026.The project includes six mega trains, each with a production capacity of eight MTPA of LNG, four of which are part of the North Field East expansion project, and two are part of the North Field South expansion project, contributing a total of 48 MTPA to the global LNG supplies.
Al Kaabi said: "On the local level, this project will have short- and long-term impacts that will be reflected across all sectors of the Qatari economy and will significantly enhance the States revenues. This major expansion comes at a crucial time, as natural gas occupies a pivotal position in the energy mix in a world facing geopolitical turbulences and is in dire need of clean energy sources that are in line with the global environmental goals."
He added: "There is no doubt that these additional quantities of natural gas are of great importance as they will play a prominent role in enhancing energy security, supporting a practical and realistic energy transition, and ensuring fair and equitable access to cleaner energy for a sustainable growth and a better future for all."
QatarEnergy is partnered in this global project by TotalEnergies, Shell, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Eni, Sinopec, and CNPC, whose contributions will play a pivotal role in ensuring the success of the project and achieving its goals by producing LNG that is the best in the world in terms of safety, reliability, and carbon footprint.
In addition to LNG, the project will produce 6,500 tonnes per day of ethane gas, which will be used as a feedstock in the local petrochemical industries. The project will also produce about 200,000 barrels per day of liquefied petroleum gas (propane and butane), and about 450,000 barrels per day of condensates, in addition to large quantities of helium and pure sulfur.
