The expansion of the world’s largest gas field accelerates as Qatar’s state giant rolls out billions of dollars in contracts. The country is setting the stage for multiple EPC contracts under the North Field West project, which could see greenfield investments totalling $17 billion to $18 billion.
The North Field and the extended South Pars field in the Persian Gulf are the world’s largest non-associated natural gas fields, jointly owned by Qatar and Iran.
The latest expansion phase, North Field West, unveiled by Qatar’s state giant in February, is designed to secure the country’s long-term status as a leading LNG exporter alongside the US and Australia.
The expansion, named North Field West, will add an additional 16 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) per year to Qatar’s existing plans, as announced by Energy Minister Saad Sherida al-Kaabi at a recent press conference.
“Recent studies have revealed that the North Field contains significant additional gas reserves, estimated at 240 trillion cubic feet. This increases total gas reserves from 1,760 trillion cubic feet to over 2,000 trillion cubic feet,” stated al-Kaabi, who also serves as the head of QatarEnergy.
These findings, he explained, “will allow us to launch a new LNG project from the western sector of the North Field, with a production capacity of approximately 16 million tonnes annually.”
Once this expansion is completed before the decade’s end, the nation’s LNG production capacity will rise to 142 million tonnes—a nearly 85 percent increase from current levels, al-Kaabi added, according to reports.
Qatar remains one of the world’s leading LNG producers, alongside the United States, Australia, and Russia. While Asian countries like China, Japan, and South Korea have traditionally been the main markets for Qatari gas, demand has surged from European countries in response to supply uncertainties following geopolitical tensions.
