Qatargas Set for Expansion
Qatargas expanded its LNG production capabilities with the groundbreaking of Qatargas 3 (QG3) and Qatargas 4 (QG4) at Ras Laffan. Both QG3 and QG4 will each have a capacity of 7.8mn tons a year.QG3 is an integrated project jointly owned by Qatar Petroleum (68.5%), ConocoPhillips (30%) and Mitsui (1.5%) and will comprise upstream gas production facilities with a capacity to produce 1.4bn cu ft of natural gas a day and will include an average 70,000 barrels of LPG per day and condensate. QG4 will be a 70:30 venture between Qatar Petroleum and Shell. It will also comprise upstream gas production facilities to produce about 1.4bn cu ft of natural gas per day including an average 70,000bpd of LPG and condensate. QG3 is primarily meant for gas supplies to the US and the first shipment is expected in 2009. QG4 will cater to LNG requirements of both the U.S. and Europe and the first supply will commence some six to nine months after QG3 going onstream. The LNG will be shipped from Qatar in a fleet of state-of-the-art vessels including Q-Max, the largest LNG carriers ever built. Each Q-Max vessel will have a 265,000cu m capacity. Qatar proposes to own up to 86 vessels, including some 16 supertankers, by the decade-end when the state’s annual LNG production capacity will reach 77mn tonnes. Sources said the total estimated cost of QG3 and QG4 is $4 billion.
(Source: Gulf Times)