Qatar to sign more long-term LNG contracts this year as demand grows, minister says – The National

Qatar to sign more long-term LNG contracts this year as demand grows, minister says – The National

Qatar will sign more long-term liquefied natural gas contracts this year as demand for the supercooled fuel grows in Asia and Europe, the country’s Energy Minister said on Wednesday.LNG is not difficult to sell but negotiations surrounding the specifics of the sale, such as contractual terms and pricing, can become a “sticking point” in finalising agreements, Saad Al Kaabi, who also the chief executive of QatarEnergy, said during the Qatar Economic Forum on Wednesday.“There's a huge demand out there, whether it's from Asia or Europe, and I think even Europe is realising now they have to do something different to secure long-term [supplies]. They've been very lucky with two warm winters,” he said.In February, Qatar announced plans to increase capacity by an additional 13 per cent on top of a previously announced expansion. The move aims to raise the nation's LNG output to 142 million tonnes a year by 2030, from its current 77 million tonnes.Golden Pass LNG, a joint venture between QatarEnergy and ExxonMobil, will be able to process up to 18 million tonnes of LNG annually once its Texas-based export plant comes online next year.The technical capability to further increase capacity in Qatar will be assessed in the