- Table of Contents
Qatar, also known as State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qatar, is an Arab country occupying the small Qatar Peninsula located on the northeastern coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Qatar is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south and by the Persian Golf on the north, east and west. Qatar is a relatively small country with a total surface of 11,437 square kilometers (4,416 square mile) and is inhabited by approximately 1.9 million people (2010 estimate). The country has a population density of 123.2 per square kilometer (319.9/sq mi). [1]
As a result of high oil and gas prices, Qatar has experienced rapid economic growth over the last several years. Economic policy is focused on developing Qatar’s non-associated natural gas reserves and on increasing private and foreign investments in non-energy sectors. However, oil and gas still account for more than 50% of Qatar’s GDP. Its natural resources have made Qatar the second highest per capita income country in the world, following Liechtenstein. Before the discovery of oil, the economy in the Qatar region was focused on fishing and pearl hunting. Qatar is the fourth largest gas consumer in the middle-east with a total estimated consumption of 23,687 mcm in 2010. Qatar holds one of the largest reserves of natural gas in the world, holding slightly under 14% of the world’s reserves (25,257 bcm of natural gas in 2010). [1], [2]
| Basic Gas Facts | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gas reserves (bcm) | .. | 25620 | 25242 | 25366 | 25257 |
| Gas production (mcm) | 51556 | 61878 | 78306 | 89389 | 120568 |
| Gas consumption (mcm) | 17236 | 19232 | 20291 | 22921 | 23687 |
| Gas imports (mcm) | - | - | - | - | - |
| imports pipeline | - | - | - | - | - |
| imports LNG | - | - | - | - | - |
| import dependency (%)* | - | - | - | - | - |
| Gas exports (mcm) | 33836 | 41516 | 57897 | 67425 | 96880 |
| Natural gas supply per capita (toe) | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. |
| Technically recoverable shale gas resources (bcm) | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. |
| Coalbed methane resources (bcm) | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. |
| c = confidential; - = nill; ..= not available * imports dependency of natural gas = net imports / (Bunkers + Gross Inland Consumption) Source: IEA Natural Gas Information 2011 | |||||
| Basic Energy Facts | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Energy Consumption (mtoe) | 22.62 | 23.87 | 25.25 | .. | .. |
| CO2 Emissions, energy-related (Mt) | 55.67 | 58.71 | 60.68 | 63.64 | .. |
| CO2 intensity, energy-related (tCO2/toe) | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. |
| Energy consumption per capita (toe/cap) | 28.20 | 29.28 | 30.621 | .. | .. |
| CO2 per capita, energy-related (tCO2/cap) | 69.36 | 72.04 | 73.57 | 76.38 | .. |
| c = confidential; - = nill; ..= not available * Import dependency of Total Energy Consumption Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration | |||||
This section explores total primary energy consumption and gas demand by sector for Qatar.
In 2010, Qatar’s TPEC amounted to 27.20 mtoe, a 5.8% increase compared to 2009. Oil and gas are the only constituents of the energy mix; coal does not play a role in Qatar. For other energy sources (renewables), no country-specific data is available. [1]
This section deals with gas reserves, exploration & production, gas imports and gas exports.
Qatar holds one of the biggest natural gas reserves in the world. It hosts approximately 13.3% of the world total reserves. Only Iran and Russia have bigger reserves than Qatar. Although the domestic production of gas has been steadily growing, its RP ratio is still well above 100 years. [1]
*Reserves-to-production (R/P) ratio – If the reserves remaining at the end of any year are divided by the production in that year, the result is the length of time that those remaining reserves would last if production were to continue at that rate.
The North Field is key to Qatar’s natural gas development and production plans. A moratorium was placed on further production projects in 2005 at the North Field to allow for some extra time to study field development optimization. The moratorium did not affect any of the projects already underway or approved before the moratorium. [1]
| By destination (in mcm) | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| India | .. | 9433 | 8336 | 8155 | 10670 |
| South Korea | .. | 10410 | 11579 | 9106 | 9719 |
| Canada | .. | - | - | - | 424 |
| Chili | .. | - | - | - | 248 |
| Japan | .. | 11380 | 11333 | 11206 | 10809 |
| Chinese Taipei | .. | 580 | 996 | 1644 | 3645 |
| China | .. | .. | .. | 550 | 1691 |
| Belgium | .. | 2205 | 2775 | 6055 | 5898 |
| UK | .. | 250 | - | 5560 | 14655 |
| Spain | .. | 4426 | 5125 | 4520 | 5841 |
| U.A.E. | .. | 6450 | 15400 | 17250 | 17250 |
| Oman | .. | - | 1852 | 1634 | 2070 |
| France | .. | - | - | 459 | 2503 |
| Turkey | .. | - | - | - | 1845 |
| Italy | .. | - | - | 1591 | 6154 |
| US | .. | 520 | 88 | 359 | 1291 |
| Other | .. | .. | 69 | 309 | 2019 |
| %Total Production | 65.63% | 67.09% | 73.93% | 75.43% | 80.35% |
| Total | 33836 | 41516 | 57897 | 67425 | 96880 |
| c = confidential; - = nill; ..= not available Source: Natural gas information 2011 & OECD/IEA, 2011 | |||||
In 2010 Qatar exported over 96 bcm, an increase of 43.7% compared to 2009, when Qatar exported over 67 bcm. In 2009, Qatar realized a 16.5% increase in its exports as compared to 2008, when it exported over 57 bcm. The range of countries that it exported natural gas to almost doubled in the period 2007-2010. [1]
This section deals with the gas grid, LNG terminals and storage facilities.
The Dolphin Project, which started in 2004, has high strategic value for Qatar as it connects the natural gas network of Qatar with the United Arab Emirates. One of the project’s pipelines (48 inch; 364 kilometers) is the largest and longest pipeline in the region and reaches a maximum underwater depth of 50 meters. Over the period 2004-2006 more than 440,000 tons of steel were shipped to Qatar for the pipeline and the twin sealines. The pipeline transports approximately 53.71 mcm per day, with a maximum capacity of 85.93 mcm per day. [2], [3]
Currently 13 LNG trains are operational. [1]
| Site | Storage | - | Liquefaction | - | Owner | Operator | TPA | Start-up | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | Tanks | Cap.* | Trains | Cap** | - | - | - | - | - |
| RasGas 1 Train 1&2 | 6 | 840 | .. | 6.6 | RasGas 1 | RasGas | .. | 1999 | E |
| RasGas 2 Train 1 | - | - | .. | 4.7 | RasGas 2 | RasGas | .. | 2004 | E |
| RasGas 2 Train 2 | - | - | .. | 4.7 | RasGas 2 | RasGas | .. | 2005 | E |
| RasGas 2 Train 3 | - | - | .. | 4.7 | RasGas 2 | RasGas | .. | 2007 | E |
| RasGas 3 Train 1 | - | - | .. | 7.8 | RasGas 3 | RasGas | .. | 2009 | E |
| RasGas 3 Train 2 | - | - | .. | 7.8 | RasGas 3 | RasGas | .. | 2010 | E |
| QatarGas 1 Train 1&2 | 4 | 340 | .. | 6.4 | QatarGas | QatarGas | .. | 1996 | E |
| QatarGas 1 Train 3 | - | - | .. | 3.1 | QatarGas | QatarGas | .. | 2009 | E |
| QatarGas 2 Train 1 | 8 | 1160 | .. | 7.8 | Qatar Petroleum, ExxonMobil | QatarGas | .. | 2009 | E |
| QatarGas 2 Train 2 | - | - | .. | 7.8 | Qatar Petroleum, ExxonMobil, TOTAL | QatarGas | .. | 2010 | E |
| QatarGas 3 Train 1 | - | - | .. | 7.8 | Qatar Petroleum, Conoco, Mitsui | QatarGas | .. | 2011 | E |
| c = confidential; - = nill; ..= not available E = existing; U = under construction; P = proposed * capacity in m3 x1,000 in LNG **nominal capacity in bm3/y. Source: GIIGNL 2010 | |||||||||
This section deals with the sector structure.
Qatar Petroleum (QP) plays a dominant role in Qatar’s natural gas sector. It leads upstream production of natural gas as well as the midstream and downstream. Qatar’s focus on natural gas developments tends towards large-scale projects linked to LNG exports, together with promotion of downstream industries that utilize natural gas as feedstock. Therefore, Shell, ExxonMobil and Total are favored international oil companies to be involved in the development of these integrated mega-projects as these companies have the necessary experience and technology. The LNG sector is dominated by two companies: Qatargas (Qatar LNG Company) and RasGas (Ras Laffan LNG Company). RasGas is 70% owned by QP and 30% owned by ExxonMobil, while the QatarGas consortium includes QP, Total, ExxonMobil, Mitsui, Marubeni, ConocoPhilips and Shell. These LNG companies handle all upstream to downstream natural gas transportation by themselves. Production is expected to grow in the future. Several gas-to-liquids projects are expected to fuel demand for natural gas as well as growing exports including higher exports through the Dolphin project. [1]
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