Germany can breathe easy! According to Qatar Energy Minister Saad Sharida al-Kaabi (55), energy giant Qatar Energy has signed an agreement on the delivery of liquid gas to Germany. During the signing of the contract in Doha, the capital of Qatar, the minister said that the gas should be sold to the US company Conoco Phillips, which will deliver it to Brunsbüttel.
Delivery is scheduled to begin in 2026 and take at least 15 years. Up to 2 million tons will be delivered annually. Al-Kaabi announced that Qatar Energy is also in talks with German companies for more gas deliveries. “We have good relations with German companies and the German government,” he said. Gas for the currently signed deal comes from two Qatari gas fields, North Field East and North Field South, which lie off the Gulf state’s coast.
Largest LPG exporter
Just last week, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (64) said that the purchase of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Qatar is not off the table. “German companies are having very concrete talks that I can tell you more than I can tell you,” Scholz said in a “Focus” interview. Among other things, Germany is trying to replace the missing gas supply from Russia with LNG supplies, with several terminals being built in the North and Baltic Seas.
Qatar is one of the world’s largest LPG exporters. The rich emirate has the world’s third largest gas reserves after Russia and Iran. Qatar shares the world’s largest gas field with Iran, which lies off the country’s coast. The vast majority of exports so far go to Asia, primarily Japan, South Korea and India.
“Basic building block for next winter”
The Emirate and China recently signed a long-term gas deal. Manufacturer Qatar Energy wants to deliver a total of 108 million tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) over 27 years to the Chinese group Sinopec. Minister Al-Kaabi said that this is the longest gas supply contract in the history of the liquid gas industry.
Germany’s first LNG terminals are about to go into operation. The gas storage tanks are now full. Federal Minister of Economy Robert Habeck (53) speaks of “a central building block for securing our energy supply for the coming winter”.
So far, Germany and other European countries have received LNG from the Netherlands, Belgium or France, primarily the USA. On a trip in the spring, Habeck sought to establish supply relations with Qatar. The emirate is reportedly seeking long-term contracts. Other important LNG exporting countries are Australia, Malaysia and Nigeria. (pbe/SDA)