Qatar kicks off North Field expansion project

The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani laid the foundation stone of the North Field expansion project at Ras Laffan Industrial City – Qatar’s main site for LNG production – which will raise the State of Qatar’s LNG production capacity from the current 77M tonnes per annum (mta) to 126 mta by 2026.

The project includes six mega trains, each with a production capacity of 8 mta 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 mta to the global LNG supplies.

Speaking at the ceremony, QatarEnergy chief executive Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi said, “This major expansion comes at a crucial time, as natural gas occupies a pivotal position in the energy mix in a world facing geopolitical turbulence that is in dire need of clean energy sources that are in line with global environmental goals.”

Qatar’s LNG production is fed by the giant North Field, which has recoverable reserves of more than 900Tn standard cubic feet (tscf) – nearly 10% of the world’s known gas reserves. The expansion is timed to take advantage of natural gas’s rising demand as nations attempt to diversify their energy mix. 

He added, “There is no doubt 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 sustainable growth and a better future for all.” 

Qatar has already embarked on a newbuilding spree for this project, commissioning 77 LNG carriers, and expects to add more. These vessels are under construction at South Korea’ big three shipyards and China’s Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding. 

Mr Al-Kaabi thanked QatarEnergy’s partners in the project – TotalEnergies, Shell, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Eni, Sinopec and CNPC.

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 sulphur.