Qatar agrees to long-term gas supply deal with Germany: energy minister

Negotiations with European countries previously struggled as Germany and others baulked at signing type of long-term deals made with Asian nations

By AFP
November 29, 2022
Qatar's Minister of State for Energy Affairs and President and CEO of QatarEnergy Saad Sherida al-Kaabi speaks at a press conference after signing an agreement with the CEO of American multinational corporation ConocoPhillips, at the QatarEnergy headquarters in Doha on October 30, 2022.— AFP

DOHA: Qatar has agreed to send Germany two million tons of liquefied natural gas a year for at least 15 years, officials said Tuesday, as Europe's biggest economy scrambles for alternative supplies after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

With the long-awaited deal, Qatar aims to "contribute to efforts to support energy security in Germany and Europe," said Saad Sherida al-Kaabi, Qatar's energy minister and CEO of QatarEnergy.

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QatarEnergy's partner, US firm ConocoPhillips, will supply the gas from Qatar's North Field East and South projects from 2026 to the Brunsbuttel LNG terminal being developed in northern Germany, Kaabi said.

Asian countries led by China, Japan and South Korea are the main market for Qatar's gas, which has been increasingly sought by European countries since Russia's war on Ukraine threw supplies into doubt.

Negotiations with European countries had previously struggled as Germany and others baulked at signing the type of long-term deals made with Asian nations.

The deal with Germany was struck a week after QatarEnergy announced a 27-year agreement to ship four million tons a year to China, saying it was the longest ever seen in the industry.

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