Qatar - Gas/Condensates.

Marketed gas production will rise rapidly in the coming years. New condensate streams have come from the QatarGas LNG venture, in which QP's partners are Total, ExxonMobil, Mitsui and Marubeni. The second LNG venture RasGas, in which QP's partners are ExxonMobil, Nissho-Iwai, Itochu and a South Korean group, began producing gas and condensates in April 1999 - months ahead of schedule. Since then RasGas' LNG export capacity has risen rapidly to reach 28.5m t/y by Aug. 12, 2009, when its Train-6 started up at the capacity of 7.8m t/y. Train-7, another 7.8m t/y will by end-2009 raise its capacity to 36.5m t/y. QatarGas now has a capacity of 25.2m t/y and this should rise to 33m t/y by end-2009. Total condensate production is rising from 300,000 b/d in the autumn of 2007 to 900,000 b/d by 2012.

More ventures in the QatarGas and RasGas groups will raise the emirate's total LNG export capacity by 2014 to more than 84.5 t/y, making Qatar by far the world's biggest LNG exporter. Qatar already has the world biggest LNG shipping business (see gmt11QatrGasExpSep14-09).

Condensates are excluded from OPEC's oil production quota system. But they are not popular on the market. As a result, QP and the main partners in QatarGas are doubling their 146,000 b/d condensate refinery at Ras Laffan to 292,000 b/d to produce more naphtha, diesel, kerosine and LPG. QP hopes to find a number of refining ventures on both sides of Suez to depend on its condensates. QP is having a new 250,000 b/d oil refinery built. This will be the third in the emirate (see down10QatrRefSep7-09).

Qatar is becoming the GTL capital of the world. One GTL plant built has a capacity of 34,000 b/d of ultra-clean fuels and will be expanded to produce 110,000 b/d. Shell is having two 70,000 b/d GTL trains built as part of a huge integrated project. But four other GTL ventures proposed to bring the total to 700,000 b/d have been put on hold in view of a big rise in project costs.

There will be major gas production streams and regional export pipelines being developed by ExxonMobil, Anadarko and Abu Dhabi-controlled Dolphin Energy to supply Arab Gulf and Pakistani markets with natural gas.

Qatar is to become the world's biggest exporter of LPG with its capacity to rise from 4m t/y in 2005 to 12m t/y by 2014. The emirate intends to have its own ships to transport most of its liquids exports. Qatar is to acquire at least 30 LPG vessels of the 80,000m3 capacity. These will join a fleet of nearly 100 LNG tankers.

By 2012 Qatar will have overtaken Saudi Arabia in LPG exports. Saudi Arabia will by then have become a major consumer of LPG for a rapidly expanding petrochemicals producing industry.

Print Get the Mag Weekly Updates