Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, and the German Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck signed a joint declaration of intent to promote an energy partnership between the two countries
The agreement builds on ongoing discussions between the two countries to secure Germany’s LNG supply through imports from Qatar, while also facilitating bilateral cooperation in hydrogen and renewable sources.
QatarEnergy said the partnership between Qatar and Germany will support “high-level intergovernmental dialogue on energy-related topics.”
The two sides are progressing a roadmap for the Energy Partnership outlining the structure and actions of the cooperation, including the formation of two working groups on LNG and hydrogen.
The group for LNG and hydrogen will support the development of LNG and hydrogen trade relations between the two nations, providing a forum for discussion related to questions regarding necessary infrastructure and regulatory affairs and promoting private parties involved in both the LNG and hydrogen value chain.
The working group on renewables, energy efficiency and demand-side management will focus on the expansion of renewable energy capacities including related topics such as infrastructure and electricity markets.
Earlier this year Minister Habeck was in Qatar and the UAE to secure Germany’s gas supplies as it looks to move away from reliance on natural gas from Russian pipelines.
Reuters reporting suggests that the talks between the countries are yet to overcome several issues. At present, there are no land-based LNG regasification terminals in Germany. And Germany is reportedly reluctant to sign long-term deals to buy large volumes with an oil-indexed pricing structure, while Qatar wishes to add a ‘destination clause’ that would prevent Germany from rerouting supplies to other areas in Europe – a condition that the EU opposes.
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