Regional LNG: Qatar to export 77 million tons annually LNG by 2011-12: Report
Monday, September 27 2004 - 07:03 AM WIB
The gas-rich Gulf state currently exports 18 MTPA, but marketing deals will boost Qatar's exports by the next decade, making the tiny state the first country to export to three continents, as well as the world's biggest exporter of gas products, the minister was quoted by Dow Jones Newswires as saying.
Qatar is to build six new gas processing trains, each with a capacity of 7.8 MTPA.
Three trains will export gas to the U.S., two under a partnership agreement with ExxonMobil and another with ConocoPhillips.
Two trains are destined for the U.K. under a partnership agreement with ExxonMobil.
Discussions are ongoing for the sixth train's market, al-Attiyah told reporters on the sidelines of an oil and gas conference in Abu Dhabi.
Other confirmed LNG customers include Spain, Italy and Belgium, he said.
Over the next few years, gas-to-liquids plants will further boost the country's gas exports.
Oryx GTL, a plant under construction with Sasol, will produce 34,000 barrels per day (BPD) of liquids, such as diesel, naphtha and lube oil from March 2006. There are plans to boost its capacity to 100,000 BPD with the construction of a second Oryx plant, he said.
Shell has signed a $6 billion production-sharing agreement with Qatar for a 140,000 BPD gas to liquid (GTL) plant. ExxonMobil will also invest $7 billion in a GTL plant with a capacity of 160,000 BPD.
The minister said these international firms can book the gas reserves for their portion of the GTL plants' production.
Plans for a joint-venture between Marathon Oil Co. and the Abu Dhabi government for another GTL plant haven't been agreed upon, he said.
Al-Attiyah said the condensates by products from these GTL plants will raise Qatar's condensates exports from 180,000 BPD now to 600,000 BPD by 2011.
The minister said he would visit Asian customers later this year: Japan and Korea in October; India in December.
India is in discussions to exercise its option to purchase an additional 2.5 MTPA of LNG, as well as its current commitment to 5 MTPA.
Japan buys 6 million MTPA and Korea takes 4.8 million MTPA. (*)