Recent LNG deals awarded for Qatar’s North Field gas expansion project will have a positive medium-term impact, facilitating an increase in LNG capacity by almost 65% to 126mn tonnes per year (mtpy) by 2027 from 77 mtpy now. Oxford Economics said in its latest country report. In the two weeks. Qatar secured multiyear supply agreements with China and Germany for LNG output set to be added in the first phase of the project due to be completed In 2026. Qatar’s non-hydrocarbon sector recovery will slow in 2023 after a strong rebound this year, Oxford Economics said. “We see non-oil GDP growth of 7.6% this year, the fastest rate since 2015. The pace will then slow to 3.3% in 2023 as momentum eases once the World Cup concludes. This will still be stronger than the 2.7% expansion in 2021. which followed a decline of 4.7% in 2020,” noted Maya Senussi. senior Middle East economist at Oxford Economics. The non-oil economy surged by 9.7% in Q2, up significantly from 5% in Ql. The latest survey data show momentum has eased from record high levels, but the influx of World Cup fans means non-oil activity should remain resilient at year-end. The latest figures show Qatar’s tourist numbers neared 1.2mn in January-September, almost quadrupling relative to the same period in 2021, thanks to a surge in arrivals from other GCC countries as well as India, the US. and the UK. The World Cup event is estimated to attract more than lmn visitors. This should lift the total number of visitors this year above pre-pandemic levels C2.1mn). The month-long event, which started on November 20, has brought an influx of visitors. supporting activity, despite global headwinds. However, inbound travel to Qatar will decline in 2023. before a rise in regional arrivals spurs a recovery thereafter, the report said. Qatar is the world’s second-largest LNG exporter (after the US). There is also heavy investment in gas-to-liquids, petrochemicals, a gas export pipeline, infrastructure, and tourism. Some $200bn has been spent on infrastructure, partly related to the 2022 football World Cup, and partly to an expanding population and the country’s long-term strategy, the Qatar National Vision 2030. In addition, Qatar Is developing into a significant regional financial and educational centre, Oxford Economics noted.

Some US$3Bn in US LNG will make its way into the German gas grid as part of a four-year loan deal between the German Government, more than 25 banks including Deutsche Bank and commodities trader Trafigura.

The supply has been agreed based on the loan facility that is partly secured under Germany’s United Financial Loan programme, through the German Export Credit Agency Euler Hermes Aktiengesellschaft.

The loan has been jointly arranged and underwritten by Deutsche Bank and another unnamed international bank and syndicated to more than 25 banks in a transaction that was, according to Trafigura, “1.6 times oversubscribed”.

“The loan will support a new commitment by Trafigura to deliver substantial volumes of gas into the European gas grid, and ultimately into Germany, over the next four years.

Trafigura will supply the gas to Securing Energy for Europe (SEFE), which was recently recapitalised by the German Government. The first gas delivery took place 1 November 2022 and Trafigura will primarily use existing quantities from its global gas and LNG portfolio to help secure gas supplies to SEFE. The agreement included a review of Trafigura’s environmental, social and governance policies and performance,” a statement from the trader said.

* Qatar’s revenue stream will be significantly enhanced by North Field expansion, whereby Qatari liquefied natural gas production capacity is expected to increase by 64%

As a low-cost LNG supplier, Qatar will remain in a “relatively strong competitive position” even after 2030, although demand is likely to peak in the mid-2030s, with increasing use of renewables in the energy market having a gradual impact on demand for hydrocarbons, S&P Global noted in its ratings upgrade.
S&P recently raised its long-term sovereign credit rating on Qatar to ‘AA’ from ‘AA-‘, assigned a stable outlook, and affirmed the country’s ‘A-1+’ short-term rating.
In its overview, S&P noted Qatar’s debt interest costs as a share of government revenue have fallen, and therefore it expects them to remain low because the government is repaying maturing debt.
Additionally, the government’s revenue stream will be significantly enhanced by the North Field expansion, whereby Qatari liquefied natural gas production capacity is expected to increase by 64% (by 2027).
“The upgrade reflects structural improvements in the Qatari government’s fiscal position. The government’s strategy of paying off maturing debt, will sustainably reduce debt-servicing costs to below 5% of general government revenue over 2022-2025,” S&P said.
Higher gas production related to the North Field expansion, expected to come onstream from end-2025, should further increase Qatari government revenue.
Qatar remains one of the largest exporters of LNG globally. Between 2025 and 2027, the government plans to increase its LNG production capacity by about 64%, from 77mn tonnes per year to 126mn tpy.
The strategic pivot away from Russian gas, particularly by European economies, suggests there will be a ready market for the additional Qatari gas.
In its forecast, S&P said, “We assume that LNG production levels will be largely flat until 2025, but increase by about 30% over 2026-2027, on the assumption that the full increase in capacity will take some time to be fully utilised.”
S&P said it expects “strong” non-hydrocarbon sector growth as Qatar hosts the FIFA World Cup from November 20 to December 18, which will support an economic expansion of about 5% in 2022.
After the tournament, S&P has forecast real GDP growth will average about 2.5% over 2023-2025 as gas production levels remain broadly stable and non-hydrocarbon sector growth normalises around 4%.
The country’s strong general government net asset position remains a credit strength and it expects it to increase over the period to 2025, supported by investment returns on Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund, Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), assets, and the government’s repayment of maturing external debt.
Averaging about 150% of GDP in 2022-2025, Qatar Government’s large liquid assets provide it with a strong buffer to mitigate the economic effects of external or financial shocks.

QatarEnergy Monday announced an oil discovery in the 4-BRSA-1386D-RJS well in Brazil’s world class Sepia oil field, which is located in the prolific Santos Basin in water depths of about 2,000 meters off the coast of Rio de Janeiro.

QatarEnergy acquired a working interest in the Sépia Co-Participated Area in December 2021 during the 2nd Transfer-of-Rights Surplus Bidding Round, which was organized and managed by Brazil’s National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP). The Area is operated by Petrobras (with a participating interest of about 52 percent) in partnership with TotalEnergies (19.2 percent), QatarEnergy (14.4 percent) and Petronas Petrleo Brasil Ltda (14.4 percent), with Pre Sal Petroleo S.A. (PPSA) as manager. The Sepia shared reservoir is currently producing about 170,000 barrels of oil per day.

Commenting on this occasion, HE the Minister of State for Energy Affairs, the President and CEO of QatarEnergy, Saad bin Sherida Al Kaabi, said: “We are encouraged by this discovery, which comes as a result of strategic cooperation with reputable partners in our effort to unlock more global energy resources as part of our comprehensive growth strategy. On this occasion, I would like to congratulate our partners, and l look forward to more future achievements.”

The discovery is significant in that the well penetrated a net oil column, which is one of the thickest ever encountered in Brazil. Partners will continue operations to characterize the conditions of the discovered reservoirs and verify the extent of the discovery by conducting well tests. (QNA)

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Under-investment spurs imbalance in global gas supply-demand
The supply-demand imbalance in the global gas market has been caused mainly by under-investment in the industry since 2015 on the back of very low gas prices and misguided calls to stop investing in natural gas projects.
This has only been exacerbated by geopolitical tensions and as Europe became the preferred destination for LNG cargoes to compensate for reduced pipeline flows.
Industry experts say market tightness is expected to continue in the medium-term, as the majority of new projects will come on stream only after 2025.
At a recent media event in Doha, HE the Minister of Energy Affairs Saad bin Sherida al-Kaabi told Gulf Times: ‘“Higher gas prices are caused by many factors. One of these is the Ukraine issue, which has made it a much bigger problem.
“If you go back a little bit, it was due to everybody pushing for green and demonising oil and gas companies and there were not enough investments (in the sector). And that caused higher price, which started before the Ukraine issue. The Ukraine issue has just made it a much bigger problem.
“You cannot take a short-term view of what’s happening today. Gas prices, which you see in Europe today are due to circumstances there.”
Due to the impact of geopolitical challenges, global energy supplies have been disrupted, energy prices impacted, and created concerns over energy security as well as accessibility.
Inflationary pressures are impacting the oil and gas industry through rising production costs, delays in investment decisions, and increased policy uncertainty, al-Kaabi had earlier said at the Asia Green Growth Partnership Ministerial Meeting.
Such developments caused a setback in the kind of serious energy transition the world needs in order to address the immediate challenges of climate change.
“This has caused a serious erosion in public support for reducing carbon emissions in many countries, which had earlier campaigned for greener energy and a carbon-free future – thus negating years of environmental achievements,” al-Kaabi said.
As the cleanest hydrocarbon fuel, natural gas is seen as the perfect solution that strikes the right balance, and will continue to play a key role in the future energy mix.
According to the ‘Global gas outlook’ by the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, natural gas share in the energy mix will increase from 23% today to 26% in 2050, underpinned by population growth, doubling of world GDP, improved standards of living, and policies and technology aimed at improving air quality and mitigating climate change.
Natural gas will continue to play a pivotal role in sustainable development and in a just and inclusive energy transition. It constitutes a key lever to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the Paris Agreement’s long-term objectives.
But the security of demand and supply, as well as open, transparent, unhindered, and non-discriminatory gas markets can be achieved only through continuous producer-consumer dialogues.
Clearly, huge investments are required to satisfy the growing world energy demand. Therefore, the importance of timely investments for market stability, and the crucial need for unhindered flow of financial resources and access to technology in a non-discriminatory manner cannot be overlooked.

أكد الوسيط الأميركي لترسيم الحدود البحرية بين لبنان وإسرائيل آموس هوكشتاين، أن “الاتفاق البحري بين الجانبين مفيد لأمن إسرائيل”.

وأضاف في تصريحات لقناة 13 الإسرائيلية، نقلتها “روسيا اليوم”، “لم تحصل إسرائيل على كل ما تريده، ولم يحصل لبنان على كل ما يريده. هكذا تجري المفاوضات عادة”، متابعاً “كانت مفاوضات استمرت لما يقرب من 11 عاماً، وقررت تغيير المعادلة. غيرنا المحادثة حتى يخرج الجميع منتصرين”.

وأشار إلى أن “إسرائيل تريد حصتها الاقتصادية بالطبع، لكنها تريد حقا استقرارا في البحر الأبيض المتوسط، وهيمنة إسرائيل على البحر الأبيض المتوسط ​​هي نتيجة لنجاحها الهائل في تطوير مثل هذه الكمية الكبيرة من الغاز الطبيعي”.

وتابع “خط الحماية لم يكن الحدود الرسمية بين إسرائيل ولبنان، والآن وافق لبنان على الاعتراف به كوضع قائم بينه وبين إسرائيل، وهذا يتيح لإسرائيل القيام بدوريات على طول هذا الخط وإمكانية الإشراف عليه. هذا أمر عظيم بالنسبة لإسرائيل”.

وعن تأثير تهديدات حزب الله على المفاوضات البحرية، قال هوكشتاين، “أوضحت لي إسرائيل أنه لن تكون هناك مفاوضات تحت التهديد”.

وفي إشارته إلى انتقاد إسرائيل لتوقيت الاتفاق قبل الانتخابات مباشرة، علق هوكشتاين قائلاً، “كانت لدينا فترة زمنية حرجة، لو انتظرنا لما تم الاتفاق”.​