Arab News: Qatar to relinquish hold as world leader in LNG exports

Over the last decade, the discovery of massive quantities of unconventional gas resources around the world has spurred a renaissance within global energy markets, redirecting international attention to natural gas as a leading source of energy supply. 

Modern technology allows natural gas to be chilled at ultra-low temperatures to a liquid state, called liquefied natural gas or LNG, making it easier to store and transport. 
Buyers of LNG process the gas through specialized import facilities that convert it back into its gaseous state.

Qatar: The king of LNG

Since 2006, Qatar has led the world in annual LNG exports, producing a volume of 77 million tons per year (MTPY) at its 14 gas processing and liquefaction facilities, known as “trains” in industry lingo. 

RasGas and Qatargas, joint venture companies with state-owned Qatar Petroleum, produce the country’s LNG at the Ras Laffan Industrial City, a compound of gas processing facilities that is home to the largest LNG export terminal in the world and located around 50 miles outside of Doha.

Qatar boasts the third largest natural gas reserves in the world and has a vast resource wealth that makes the nation of around 280,000 citizens the richest in the world in terms of GDP per capita. MORE