Qatar begins work on major gas field expansion project

Along with LNG, the North Field expansion project will produce 6,500 tonnes per day of ethane gas, which will be used as feedstock in petrochemical industries

by Neesha Salian

October 4, 2023

Qatar foundation stone laid for North Field Expansion Project Image courtesy QatarEnergy

Image: QatarEnergy

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, has laid the foundation stone of the North Field expansion project.

The project aims to raise the country’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) production capacity from the current 77 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) to 126 MTPA by 2026.

It comprises 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.

The project’s ground breaking ceremony was held at Ras Laffan Industrial City.

His Highness the Amir lays the foundation stone for the North Field Expansion Project

A unique global project that will raise Qatar’s LNG production capacity to 126 MTPA#QatarEnergy #YourEnergyTransitionPartner #Qatar pic.twitter.com/2YX1Jini9n

— QatarEnergy (@qatarenergy) October 3, 2023

Speaking at the event, Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, the Minister of State for Energy Affairs, and the president and CEO of QatarEnergy, 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 state’s 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.

“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.”

Key partners on the North Field Expansion in Qatar

State -owned QatarEnergy has partnered in this global project with TotalEnergies, Shell, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Eni, Sinopec, and CNPC, whose contributions will play a pivotal role in ensuring the project’s success and achieving its goals by producing LNG that is the best in the world in terms of safety, reliability, and carbon footprint.

???? The North Field Expansion groundbreaking ceremony that was held today in Qatar is a milestone for #Europe’s energy security. @TotalEnergies is honored to be @QatarEnergy’s first partner of the world’s largest #LNG project that will further strengthen our ability to deliver… pic.twitter.com/1Bwg0sUZdB

— Patrick Pouyanné (@PPouyanne) October 3, 2023

In addition to LNG, the project will produce 6,500 tonnes per day of ethane gas, which will be used as 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.

In other news, in September, Qatargas announced that it changed its name to “QatarEnergy LNG”, the parent company QatarEnergy said, adding that the rebranding underscores a future vision for the country’s LNG industry.

The state-owned energy firm said the rebranding, comes as part of the increasing international recognition of the country’s role in meeting the world’s growing need for energy, particularly natural gas – the cleanest of all fossil fuels.