Qatargas 4 Ras Laffan LNG Terminal
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Qatargas 4 Ras Laffan LNG Terminal is an LNG terminal in Al Khawr, Qatar.
Location
Project Details
- Parent: Qatar Petroleum (70%), Shell (30%)
- Location: Ras Laffan Industrial City, Al Khawr, Qatar
- Coordinates: 25.9005, 51.55767 (exact)
- Capacity: 7.8 mtpa, 1.12 bcfd
- Status: Operating
- Type: Export
- Start Year: 2011
Note: mtpa = million tonnes per year; bcfd = billion cubic feet per day
Background
Qatargas 4 Ras Laffan LNG Terminal in Al Khawr, Qatar.[1] Established in 2007 to produce LNG and related products from its mega train, Train 7, with a production capacity of 7.8 mtpa. Shareholders include: Qatar Petroleum (70%), and Royal Dutch Shell (30%).[2]
The city of Ras Laffan is Qatar's port for the production and export of LNG from the North Field and is a gated community to 30,000 people one hour north of Doha. Ras Laffan's citizens are employees from 54 different countries.[3]
Qatargas and Rasgas produces Qatar's LNG. State-owned Qatar Petroleum owns a majority stake in both companies. A consortium including Qatar Petroleum, ExxonMobil, Total, Mitsui, Marubeni, ConocoPhillips and Royal Dutch Shell owns Qatargas.[4] Qatargas is the largest LNG producer in the world.[5] At the end of 2016 Qatar announced to merge its state-owned natural gas firms, Qatargas and RasGas in order to cut costs.[6]
Media outlets reported in 2017 that the global over supply of natural gas has buyers in a good position to negotiate price. India’s state run Petronet have renegotiated price cuts with Rasgas. Similarly, Poland’s PGNiG also negotiated price cuts with Qatargas.[7]
Qatar LNG
Iran and Qatar own the South Pars/North Field, the world's largest natural gas field. This field plays a central role in Qatar and Iran's foreign and domestic policy.[8]
Qatari discovery in 1971 of its side of the South Pars/North Field coincided with its year of independence. The gas field has been instrumental in state building, sovereignty, and the primary contributor to the GDP. Natural gas also indirectly drives many foreign policy initiatives for Qatar. This includes foreign aid and education initiatives.[8]
In 1996, Qatar planned to export its natural gas to nearby GCC countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates). Qatar's natural gas export to GCC faced transit rights and pricing problems and border disputes. Qatar's exports now reach the UK, China, India and Japan.[8]
Qatar's energy policy is closely aligned to its investment policy through the national sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority. The investment fund reinvests oil and gas revenue in Europe and North America.[8]
The US shale gas boom since 2008 and lagging European markets stagnation have left Qatar dependent on the increasingly competitive Asian gas market for LNG customers.[9]
As of 2017, Qatar remains the top LNG exporter. The country exports almost 80 million tons a year. [10]
Articles and resources
References
- ↑ Qatargas 4 Ras Laffan LNG Terminal, GEO, accessed April 2017
- ↑ Corporate Structure Qatargas, accessed July 2019
- ↑ "A peek inside Qatar's 'gas capital of the world'" Business Times, February 23, 2017.
- ↑ Reuters Staff, "FACTBOX-Oil majors' investments in countries involved in Qatar row," Reuters, July 5, 2017.
- ↑ Reuters Staff, "Qatar's Ras Laffan 2 condensate splitter to launch this month -sources," Reuters, October 3, 2016.
- ↑ Karen Thomas, "Qatargas and RasGas complete first coloading of LNG," LNG World Shipping, August 21, 2017.
- ↑ "The five stages of LNG grief," Hellenic Shipping News, September 29, 2017.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Susan Kurdli, "The energy factor in the GCC crisis," Al Jazeera, July 28, 2017.
- ↑ "Qatargas/RasGas LNG merger driven by need to cut costs," S&P Global Platts , December, 2017.
- ↑ Diane Munro, "Qatar Moves to Ensure LNG Dominance" Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, April 17, 2017.
