Saad Sherida al-Kaabi, Qatar's energy minister and CEO of QatarEnergy, at the signing of the CNPC SPA
Qatar ramps up LNG marketing as NFE work begins
Construction of the world’s largest-ever LNG export project is underway, but it has a long way to go to secure deals for 48mt/yr of new capacity
October was a hectic month for Qatar’s LNG industry and the numerous foreign partners in the projects that make up the North Field Expansion (NFE), the world’s largest-ever LNG project. The month began with a ceremony at Ras Laffan Industrial City to mark the laying of the project’s foundation stone by Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani. Several more ceremonies were held over ensuing weeks as long-term SPAs were signed with major foreign partners. From an engineering perspective, Qatar now faces the immense challenge of building six “mega-trains”, each around 1km long and capable of liquefying 8mt/yr of gas. “The Qataris have a lot of LNG to sell” Corbeau, Center on Global Energy Pol
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
