Qatar Becomes Thailand's Biggest LNG Supplier

Qatar's LNG industry reached another milestone when the Gulf state replaced Yemen as Thailand’s biggest supplier of LNG in 2013, reports Gulf Times.

The Gulf state is world biggest exported of the fuel with a capacity in excess of 77mn tons a year. The LNG segment plays an important role in the economy.

But over the next few years, Qatar may see increasing competition in the global LNG market with new production facilities coming online in Australia and North America, adds Gulf Times.

Demand is gradually shifting towards Asia with consumption rising in countries like Japan, China and India. At the same time, shale gas boom in the US has led to drop in US imports of LNG.

According to the newspaper, reflecting these changes in the global energy market, Qatar has redirected its LNG exports over the last three years from the US to Asia.

China started importing LNG from Qatar in August 2013. Japan has switched from nuclear to gas-fueled power stations following the Fukushima disaster, which has more than made up for the loss of US LNG imports, says Gulf Times.

Other economies in Asia are increasing their imports of LNG gas from Qatar, including Malaysia and Thailand.

Demand from Asia is likely to continue to remain strong as its economies expand rapidly over the medium term. Qatar, therefore, is unlikely to lose its leading role in the global energy market for many years to come, the newspaper adds.

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