QatarEnergy — First North Field East LNG train due mid next year

Gas outlook

Al-Kaabi said economic growth requires fuel and that gas is the best source—reliable, affordable and widely available—and will remain the backbone of global energy for the next century. He noted countries will have different mixes and that Qatar currently meets 15% of its electricity from solar and plans to reach 30%.

North Field expansion and LNG

He confirmed the first North Field East (NFE) LNG train—part of a 32 million tonnes per annum NFE development—will start mid next year, with additional trains to follow. North Field West (NFW) is in the engineering phase and will enter construction in 2027. QatarEnergy plans to expand LNG production from the current 77 million tonnes to 160 million tonnes, including output from the Golden Pass project in Texas, which will come online later this year.

Petrochemicals and crackers

QatarEnergy is doubling production capacity across petrochemicals and is building the world’s largest ethane cracker in the United States and the largest ethane cracker in the MENA region at Ras Laffan, both expected to begin production in early 2027. Al-Kaabi said these two projects with CPChem constitute the largest single investment by one company.

China relations and conference context

Al-Kaabi described China as Qatar’s biggest buyer of LNG and a partner in the NFE and NFW expansions, and noted Qatar is building many LNG ships in China under its shipbuilding programme. His remarks were delivered at the World Gas Conference in Beijing, an industry gathering attended by over 30,000 delegates from 70 countries.