Doha: Qatar's LNG export capacity will rise from the present 30m tonnes a year to 77m tonnes by 2010, according to the country's Second Deputy Premier and Minster of Energy and Industry, H E Abdullah bin Hamad At Attiyah. Addressing delegates at the 12th Middle East Gas Summit, he said that economies of scale, notably bigger plants and larger LNG carriers, had facilitated long-term commitments with receivers in far-away markets such as the Far East, Europe and the US and had enabled Qatar to become the world's fastest-growing.gas producer.
Currently Qatar is operating the largest LNG trains in the world with a capacity of 4.7m tonnes a year, the Minister told delegates, with six larger trains under construction with a total annual capacity of 7.8m tonnes. But, despite this rapid expansion, there was a degree of caution on the pace of future development, he said. A study into the country's gas reserves is to be carried out, with results due in 2009 or 2010. However, the Minister declared that sustainable production was a key strategy, rather than maximizing production in the short run. [12/03/07]
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