Qatar is aggressively moving to solidify its position as the world’s leading liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter, with plans to boost its production capacity to 142 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) by 2030, a nearly 85% increase from its current level.
A joint venture of Technip Energies, as the leader, Consolidated Contractors Company and Gulf Asia Contracting has secured an engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning (EPCC) contract by QatarEnergy for the onshore LNG facilities of the North Field West (NFW) project, the last in a series of expansion projects that will raise Qatar’s production to 142 mtpa.Technip Energies said that the contract award was major, meaning it represents above €1 billion of revenue.
The scope covers two LNG mega-trains with combined capacity of 16 mtpa alongside gas treatment, natural gas liquids recovery and helium extraction facilities, with expected output of about 175,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day of condensate, ethane and liquefied petroleum gas.
NFW is the third expansion of LNG production from the North Field, located off the northeast shore of the Qatar peninsula. The gas field was discovered in 1971 and covers an area of over 6,000 square kilometers, equivalent to about half the land area of the State of Qatar. North Field West follows the North Field East (32 mtpa) and North Field South (16 mtpa) developments, with design features focused on environmental performance.
This expansion project will produce approximately 16 mtpa of LNG, and together with NFE and NFS will increase Qatar’s total LNG export capacity from 77 mtpa to 142 mtpa. The North Field East and North Field South projects are expected to raise production to 126 mtpa by 2027. First LNG cargo from North Field West is expected by the end of 2031.
Qatar is projected to account for 40% of all new global LNG supply by 2030.In addition to increasing production, Qatar plans to expand its global trading of non-Qatari LNG to 30-40 million tons by 2030.
Qatar is positioning itself to capture market share from high-cost competitors, aiming to supply both Asian and European markets, with a focus on long-term contracts to manage potential market gluts.
Qatar’s expansion is driven by the belief that long-term global gas demand will continue to grow, particularly as countries seek to replace coal with lower-emission natural gas. Total investments in these projects have reached approximately $82.5 billion.
/QatarEnergy, Technip Energies/