Powering the World
Liquified Natural Gas (LNG)
Qatar is home to some of the largest reserves
of natural gas in the world, the exports of
which account for 57.8% of the country’s
gross dom estic product of GDP. Of this, 85%
is exported as liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Qatar is leveraging this success for the
long-term—as part of the country’s national
strategy, Qatar is reinvesting much of its
LNG export profits into its citizens and in
foreign assets as a way to diversify its mainly
resource-based economy.
G l o b a l L N G T rad e
Qatar, currently the world’s number one
exporter of liquefied natural gas, recently
announced that it will increase production
from 77 million tons of natural gas to 100
million tons a year by 2024. Qatar has been
the world’ s leading exporter of LNG since
2006, and the country currently accounts
for about one-third of the global LNG trade.
Annual sales are estimated to be $180 billion.
Q a t a r L NG T rai n S up eri o ri ty
Qatar has consistently spearheaded the
development and construction of high-caliber
LNG trains. An LNG train is a liquefied natural
gas plant’s liquefaction and purification
facility. Qatar has fourteen of these facilities,
more than any other LNG exporting country.
This number includes six mega trains which
produce 7.8 million tons each every year.
Qatari Investments in LNG
Qatar has invested substantially in
the research and development of
LNG, which has allowed the country
to efficiently produce LNG at levels
previously believed impossible. These
investments have had tangible results;
while planned projects in the United
States, East Africa and Australia
are expected to require $8 to $12 to
produce a million British thermal units
of LNG, it costs only $2 to do so in
Qatar. This low cost structure has
created an environment in which Qatar
is able to provide many unique benefits
to the market.
Qatar has also invested into
the acquisition of a new fleet of
carriers specially designed for LNG
transportation. Qatar has a fleet of 54
LNG vessels, which represents some
20% of the world’s total LNG fleet. These
substantially larger and more efficient
craft have increased Qatari reach and
speed relative to its competitors.
North Field Overview
Qatar’s North Field is the largest natural
gas field in the world, with recoverable
reserves of more than 900 trillion
standard cubic feet, or approximately
10% of the world’s known reserves. To
exploit this remarkable 6,000 square-
kilometer field, Qatar has built 14 LNG
trains with a total production capacity
of 77 million tonnes per annum. Qatar
will be able to fulfill client needs for
many decades to come.