Qatar has some encouraging developments on two major natural gas projects related to supergiant North gas field.
Italian firms have won export financing to begin construction of a port complex for a liquefied natural gas terminal at Doha, part of Qatar's $4.3 billion LNG export project based on North field.
In addition, Qatar's other major gas project, a proposed $3 billion, 1,600 km gas pipeline to Pakistan, won a boost from Pakistani officials visiting Qatar.
Both developments were reported by Middle East News Network (MENN), a Washington, D.C., news wire service.
LNG PROJECT
Italy's export credit agency Sace granted 500 billion lire ($405 million) in export credit guarantees for the project.
State owned Soc. Italiana per Condotte d'Acqua will build the port complex at Ras Laffan under a 922 billion lire ($748 million) contract. Work is to be complete by 1996,
Qatar recently had a setback in its LNG plan when British Petroleum Co. plc pulled out of the project, handing back its 7.5% interest to operator and principal shareholder Qatar General Petroleum Corp. (OGJ, Jan. 20, p. 31).
PIPELINE PROJECT
Pakistani and Qatari officials discussed the pipeline linking Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Iran, and Pakistan.
The pipeline, to be built by Crescent Petroleum Ltd. of Sharjah, I would allow Qatar to export as much as 3.8 bcfd from North field.
The line would extend subsea from Qatar to Jebel Ali, Dubai, overland to Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman, subsea again to Iran, then overland again to Pakistan. Negotiations are under way with World Bank for funding the pipeline project and with Iranian officials for access.
Crescent said Pakistan wants to buy as much as 2.4 bcfd, Dubai 800 MMcfd, and Oman 400 MMcfd, MENN reported.
In return, Pakistan wants Qatari investment in its petroleum industry, specifically for the planned 80,000 b/d Moltan refinery.
Copyright 1992 Oil & Gas Journal. All Rights Reserved.
