22 Qatar SITES ConstruCtion ‘Guaranteed’ outlet for gas The Golden Pass LNG Term<strong>in</strong>al will provide a “guaranteed outlet” for Qatar <strong>in</strong><strong>to</strong> the <strong>world</strong>’s largest natural gas market, which is the US, ConocoPhillips Qatar president Erec Isaacson has said. The term<strong>in</strong>al will facilitate “steady production” from Qatargas 3, <strong>in</strong> which ConocoPhillips has a significant stake. “The jo<strong>in</strong>t ownership with Qatar Petroleum allows us <strong>to</strong> ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> a balanced relationship throughout the value cha<strong>in</strong>,” Isaacson <strong>to</strong>ld Gulf Times. The Golden Pass Term<strong>in</strong>al is 70% owned by Qatar Petroleum (QP) while the rema<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g 30% are shared by ConocoPhillips and ExxonMobil. The multi-billion dollar term<strong>in</strong>al was formally <strong>in</strong>augurated on the sidel<strong>in</strong>es of the Bus<strong>in</strong>ess and Investment <strong>in</strong> Qatar Forum held <strong>in</strong> New York <strong>in</strong> April. The term<strong>in</strong>al and pipel<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong> Jefferson County, Texas, had recently commenced commercial operations after obta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g “<strong>in</strong> service authority” by the US Federal Energy and Regula<strong>to</strong>ry Com- mission (FERC). Isaacson expressed his country’s pride <strong>in</strong> participat<strong>in</strong>g with Qatar Petroleum <strong>in</strong> both the Qatargas 3 project <strong>in</strong> Qatar and the Golden Pass LNG Term<strong>in</strong>al <strong>in</strong> the US. Echo<strong>in</strong>g statements made by ConocoPhillips chairman Jim Mulva at the <strong>in</strong>augural event, Isaacson said: “Dur<strong>in</strong>g our several years of development work on these significant projects, we have enjoyed the opportunity <strong>to</strong> establish close, collaborative relationships with Qatargas, Qatar Petroleum and the people of Qatar.” Isaacson said that all projects <strong>in</strong> which ConocoPhillips participated with Qatar were on the “cutt<strong>in</strong>g edge” of susta<strong>in</strong>able development. The facilities at the Golden Pass Term<strong>in</strong>al were built <strong>to</strong> “maximize efficiencies and m<strong>in</strong>imize environmental impacts” and <strong>in</strong>cluded LNG ships with onboard re-liquefaction capability and facilities with boil-off gas capture dur<strong>in</strong>g load<strong>in</strong>g <strong>to</strong> significantly reduce flar<strong>in</strong>g. Condensate sales beg<strong>in</strong> Qatar International Petroleum Market<strong>in</strong>g Company (Tasweeq) has started sales of condensate separated from natural gas used as feeds<strong>to</strong>ck for the country’s multi-billion dollar gas-<strong>to</strong>-liquid jo<strong>in</strong>t venture with Royal Dutch Shell, trade sources said. The company is offer<strong>in</strong>g 400,000- 600,000 barrels of start-up quality condensate for May load<strong>in</strong>g, they said. The super light oil will be of a similar quality <strong>to</strong> Qatar’s Low Sulphur Condensate (LSC) when production stabilizes, a source said. Up <strong>to</strong> 40,000 barrels per day (bpd) of condensate will be produced when the plant at Qatar’s <strong>in</strong>dustrial city of Ras Laffan reaches full capacity next year, he said. Qatar currently produces around 110,000 bpd of LSC. Shell, opera<strong>to</strong>r of the Pearl GTL plant, said <strong>in</strong> a March 23 statement it had opened natural gas wells offshore, allow<strong>in</strong>g the first sour gas <strong>to</strong> flow through a subsea pipel<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong><strong>to</strong> the giant GTL plant onshore. “Sections of the Pearl GTL plant will be started up progressively over the com<strong>in</strong>g months,” the company said. The $18-$19 billion project has a capacity <strong>to</strong> produce 140,000 bpd of GTL products which <strong>in</strong>clude diesel, kerosene, naphtha and lubricant oils. In accordance with the decision of the Gazprom Board of Direc<strong>to</strong>rs, the company is open<strong>in</strong>g its mission <strong>in</strong> Doha, accord<strong>in</strong>g <strong>to</strong> a Russian agency report. A company statement issued recently said: “The ma<strong>in</strong> tasks of the mission will be the development of long-term mutually advanta- Local news Gazprom <strong>to</strong> open mission <strong>in</strong> Doha geous economic co-operation of Gazprom with states of the Gulf as well as presentation and protection of the company’s <strong>in</strong>terests <strong>in</strong> the region.” “The mission is <strong>to</strong> <strong>in</strong>teract with state bodies, oil and gas companies of Qatar and countries of the Gulf,” the Itar-Tass report said.
Local news