QatarEnergy says pipelines cannot replace LNG exports
- Repairs to two damaged LNG trains at Ras Laffan will take three years; a GTL plant repair is due to finish in Q1 2027.
- Qatar is ready to resume normal operations within weeks of the Strait of Hormuz reopening.
- Golden Pass LNG has begun shipments from its first train; trains two and three are expected to be fully operational next year.
- Commissioning has started at the Golden Triangle Polymers ethane cracker, with startup expected in the coming weeks.
Pipeline route economics
QatarEnergy President and CEO Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi said transporting gas by pipeline and liquefying it at receiving terminals would require facilities that duplicate those being built in Qatar for the North Field expansion. He said Qatar rejected pipelines as an alternative on commercial and technical grounds.
Production damage and recovery
Attacks on Ras Laffan damaged two LNG trains and a gas-to-liquids (GTL) plant. Repairs to the GTL plant are expected to finish in the first quarter of 2027, while repairs to the LNG trains will take three years. Qatar is ready to resume normal operations within a few weeks of the Strait of Hormuz reopening.
Trading and US projects
Al-Kaabi said Qatar aims to become the world’s largest LNG trader in the near future. At Golden Pass LNG, shipments have started from the first train, with the second and third expected to be fully operational next year. The Golden Triangle Polymers project’s ethane cracker has entered commissioning, with startup expected in the coming weeks.
Strait of Hormuz
Al-Kaabi said the Strait carries trade in products beyond oil and gas for countries around the Gulf, and rejected claims that it is obsolete.
Source: QatarEnergy