Regional LNG: Qatar to double LNG exports to Japan: Report

Qatar plans to boost its exports of liquefied natural gas to Japan to more than 11 million tons a year in 2010 from the current 6 million tons, Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah, the nation's energy and industry minister was quoted by Kyodo News as saying.

"Now we're listening to our customers (in Japan), we feel they need more LNG. So I think we can increase another 5 million tons in the coming years," said al-Attiyah, who doubles as second deputy premier of the fourth-biggest supplier of oil and natural gas for Japan.

"We are very committed to Japan," he said in a recent interview in Tokyo. "We would like to be a more reliable energy supplier for Japan."

The comments are a godsend for Japan at a time when Indonesia, the nation's No. 1 supplier of LNG, is considering cutting shipments to Japan from 2010, and Japan and Russia remain at odds over the Sakhalin-2 oil and natural gas project in the Russian Far East.

Al-Attiyah said Qatar plans to expand global LNG shipments to 35 million tons a year in 2007 from the current 29 million tons, making it the world's biggest LNG producer.

He projected that Qatar's global LNG shipments will steadily grow to 77 million tons per year in 2010.

Along with Japan, al-Attiyah said, Qatar plans to increase LNG exports to South Korea by 2 million tons next year to 7 million tons a year and to India by 2.5 million tons in 2009 to 7.5 million tons. Qatar will also start shipping LNG to Taiwan in 2008.

Al-Attiyah was on a nine-day visit to Japan through Monday, during which he has held talks with major clients, including Chubu Electric Power Co. and other end-users.(*)