Qatar's foot off the brake

With an eye on Iran's rapid exploitation of the shared North Field, Qatar has lifted its development moratorium

"We have to be very careful to see that the reserves are managed for the long term…(and) about reserves, pressures, and how to continue for as long as we can," said former Qatari energy minister Abdullah al-Attiyah. Attiyah was speaking in 2005, shortly after the government had imposed a four-year moratorium on new projects in the giant offshore North Field, the enormous jewel in Qatar's energy crown. Twelve years later, with production averaging around 20bn cubic feet a day, the moratorium has been lifted. Qatar Petroleum's (QP) president and chief executive Saad al-Kaabi said in April that since 2005 the company had been "conducting extensive studies and exerting exceptional efforts to ass