The world’s biggest gas field is in for a massive expansion.
The £22.8billion North Field East (NFE) project is being overseen by state-owned energy firm QatarEnergy, and represents the first phase of a larger North Field expansion.
A geological extension of Iran’s South Pars and North Dome Gas-Condensate field, it is located nearly 50 miles northeast of the Middle Eastern state’s coast.
The region has recoverable reserves of more than 900trillion cubic feet. This represents approximately 10% of the world’s known reserves.
The yield comes from two gas-bearing formations: the Kangan, dating from the Triassic period, and Upper Dalan, which orginated in the Permian.
Exploration engineers first discovered natural gas off Qatar’s northeast coast in 1971.
The huge amount of gas being recovered from the field ensures that the country is the world’s largest holder of proven reserves after Russia and Iran.
Officials say the North Field will supply gas to “fulfil multiple large-scale long-term gas sales contracts for many decades to come”.
They add: “The development of this major natural resource has been a significant factor in Qatar’s economic growth.
“The gas produced from this giant field is processed to produce LNG, GTL, NGL, and other gas-related products, in addition to pipeline gas for export.”
The NFE expansion project is the first phase of the overall expansion, the North Field LNG expansion programme, and includes the first four trains.
This huge proposal also includes the North Field South (NFS) and North Field West (NFW) projects.
After QatarEnergy revealed its vision for the North Field LNG expansion project, which includes an aim to construct four trains with a capacity of eight million tons per year, the original plan was enlarged in November 2019 and February 2024.
Now, it includes two additional 8mtpa trains each time, Offshore Energy reports.