His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar, laid the foundation stone of the North Field expansion project, which will raise the State of Qatar's LNG production capacity from the current 77 million tons per annum (MTPA) to 126 MTPA by 2026.
The project’s ground breaking took place during a special ceremony at Ras Laffan Industrial City attended by His Excellency Mr. Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, the Minister of State for Energy Affairs, the President and CEO of QatarEnergy, and the CEOs and senior executives of QatarEnergy’s partners in the expansion project.
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.
Speaking at the ground breaking ceremony, His Excellency Mr. Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi stressed that this pioneering expansion project is a quantum leap in our country’s leadership in the field of energy, and an embodiment of our goals towards optimal investment in our natural resources and our commitment to providing the world with a cleaner source of energy over many decades.
His Excellency Minister 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 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.'
His Excellency the Minister of State for Energy Affairs, the President and CEO of QatarEnergy, said: '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.'
His Excellency Minister Al-Kaabi concluded his remarks by thanking QatarEnergy’s partners, and the working teams of Qatar Energy and QatarEnergy LNG, and the contractors working to implement this project with the highest quality and safety standards.
His Excellency said: 'I am honored to extend ample thanks and gratitude to His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, for honoring us with his presence and patronage of this celebration, and for his unlimited support and guidance to us in the Energy Sector.'
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 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.
In addition to LNG, the project will produce 6,500 tons 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.
Source: QatarEnergy
