Qatar Announces Italy’s Eni as Second Partner in North Field East Project

Qatar Announces Italy’s Eni as Second Partner in North Field East Project

Qatar signed a deal with Eni on Sunday on the expansion of the North Field East (NFE) Project, the world's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, following on from an agreement with TotalEnergies earlier this month.

QatarEnergy CEO Saad al-Kaabi said Eni would own 25 percent of a new joint venture, giving it a 3.12 percent stake in the expansion that is expected to deliver its first gas in early 2026.

TotalEnergies had said it will have 25 percent of one virtual train, giving it a share of around 6.25 percent of the four.

"Today I'm pleased to announce the selection of Eni as a partner in this unique strategic project," said Saad al-Kaabi, Qatar’s energy minister and head of Qatar Energy.

The project's LNG is expected to come on line in 2027. It will help Qatar increase its liquefied natural gas production by more than 60 percent by 2027, TotalEnergies chief executive Patrick Pouyanne told AFP last week.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has injected urgency into efforts around the world to develop new energy sources as Western countries try to reduce their reliance on Russia.

On Friday, Eni said it would receive only 50 percent of the gas requested from Russia's Gazprom, the third day