Nippon Oil and Gas to rope in partner for Qatar project

Japan’s JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration is likely to rope in a partner for its exploration and development programs in block A in the deep pre-Khuff reservoirs offshore Qatar, media reports said.

The company inked a deal earlier this year for a 30-year exploration and production sharing agreement with the Qatari government for the offshore gas block.

Commercial production at deepwater gas block in Qatar is expected to start in 2020.

Under the terms of agreement, JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration will have to sell gas to companies at the direction of the Qatari government. It is also up to the government to decide whether gas output will be piped to countries in the Middle East or liquefied for export.

The contract entails exploring for gas in the pre-Khuff geological formations at 3,400-4,000 m below sea level, beneath the reservoir of the North Field, the world’s biggest concentration of non-associated gas with reserves of 900 Tcf.