First phase of the NFE expansion will increase Qatar’s LNG production capacity
Letter from China: Long-term LNG demand looks strong
Last year’s slip in gas consumption does not affect the outlook to mid-century
Speculation that China is nearing a new long-term LNG supply deal with Qatar—that would take cooperation through to the middle of this century—underlines how the long-term growth story for gas in the Asian giant remains intact as Beijing looks to back up its immense buildout of renewable energy. State-controlled CNPC is reportedly in talks with state-owned QatarEnergy to buy LNG from the latter’s 49mn t/yr North Field East (NFE) expansion programme on similar terms to the 27 year-long SPA for 4mn t/yr signed by domestic peer Sinopec last November. Sinopec’s contract will be met through the NFE expansion and marks the longest-duration contract ever signed by QatarEnergy. The first phase of th
Also in this section
13 April 2026
Petroleum Economist analysis highlights sharp shift from crude oversupply to market deficit, with Iraq and Kuwait badly affected and key producers Saudi Arabia and the UAE also seeing output sharply lower
13 April 2026
Turkmenistan is moving ahead with a modest expansion of the giant Galkynysh field to sustain gas deliveries abroad, but persistent delays to other key pipeline projects and geopolitical risks continue to constrain its export ambitions
13 April 2026
Expensive electricity has forced out swathes of energy-intensive industry and now threatens the country’s ability to attract future investment in datacentres and the digital economy
13 April 2026
For GCC producers, the ceasefire may prove more destabilising than the war itself: exports remain constrained, and control over Hormuz has shifted in ways that could endure
