Germany and Qatar ink LNG, hydrogen pact

Qatar and Germany have agreed to boost cooperation in LNG and hydrogen, as the latter looks to reduce reliance on pipeline gas supplies from Russia.

State-owned LNG giant QatarEnergy said in a statement that Qatar and Germany penned the joint declaration of intent on Friday.

German Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Robert Habeck, and Qatar’s energy minister and chief executive of QatarEnergy, Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, signed the deal in Berlin.

“The agreement builds on the ongoing successful dialogue between the two countries and is expected to develop into a mutually beneficial energy partnership between Qatar and Germany through building LNG trade relations as well as pursuing the climate action ambitions of both countries,” it said.

QatarEnergy said this partnership would further strengthen Germany’s energy supply diversification through LNG imports from Qatar, while also facilitating bilateral cooperation in hydrogen and renewable sources.

Qatar to ship US LNG to Germany?

To remind, Habeck visited Doha in March and met with Al-Kaabi. QatarEnergy said in a statement after the meeting that the two sides agreed to work on a long-term LNG supply deal.

In the meantime, Germany’s Uniper has started work on the country’s first LNG import facility and chartered two FSRUs from Dynagas, while RWE took on charter two units from Hoegh LNG.

Germany is looking to start LNG imports as soon as possible and has also approved a law which enables a rapid expansion of the country’s LNG import infrastructure.

According to Germany’s Handelsblatt, Al-Kaabi said during the visit to Germany that Qatar could start delivering LNG to Germany from the Golden Pass LNG plant in 2024, prior to launch of its giant expansion project in Ras Laffan in 2025/2026.

State-owned LNG giant QatarEnergy owns a 70 percent stake in the $10 billion Golden Pass LNG export terminal while US energy firm ExxonMobil has a 30 percent share.

Once complete, the giant facility, located next to the existing LNG import terminal in Sabine Pass, will have three trains and a total liquefaction capacity of about 16 mtpa.

As per the expansion project in Qatar, QatarEnergy announced a final investment decision on its $28.75 billion North Field East project in February last year.

Under the project, QatarEnergy will build four mega trains with a capacity of 8 million tonnes per year in the Ras Laffan complex.

This first phase of the expansion project will increase Qatar’s LNG production capacity from 77 to 110 mtpa while the second phase will further boost capacity to total 126 mtpa.

The company’s unit Qatargas already operates in total fourteen LNG trains at Ras Laffan.

Most Popular

Fluxys awards Zeebrugge LNG gig to Sacyr Proyecta

Belgium's Fluxys has awarded a new contract to Spain's Sacyr Proyecta for services at its LNG terminal in Zeebrugge, Belgium.

Rotterdam LNG bunkering volumes climb in H1

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering volumes in the Dutch port of Rotterdam rose in the first half of this year compared to last year, despite a drop in second-quarter volumes.

China’s gas imports up in June

China's natural gas imports, including pipeline gas and LNG, rose by 1.1 percent last month compared to June 2024, according to customs data.

More News Like This

QatarEnergy LNG carrier wraps up trials in China

A 174,000-cubic-meter liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier, built as part of QatarEnergy's massive shipbuilding program, has completed its trials in China, according to Hudong-Zhonghua.

Santos inks LNG supply deal with QatarEnergy’s trading unit

Australian LNG player Santos has signed a mid-term LNG supply deal with QatarEnergy Trading, a unit of state-owned LNG giant QatarEnergy.

Golden Pass LNG seeks re-export approval

Golden Pass LNG, a joint venture owned by energy giants QatarEnergy and ExxonMobil, is seeking approval from the US DOE to export previously imported LNG from October, as it nears the launch of the first liquefaction train.

Construction moving forward on German LNG terminal

Dutch gas grid operator Gasunie and German energy firm RWE are moving forward with the construction of the German government-backed onshore LNG import terminal in Brunsbüttel.