QatarEnergy Set to Further Expand LNG Output at North Field

The new Qatar Energy logo is pictured during a news conference in Doha, Qatar, October 11, 2021. Qatar News Agency/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
The new Qatar Energy logo is pictured during a news conference in Doha, Qatar, October 11, 2021. Qatar News Agency/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
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QatarEnergy Set to Further Expand LNG Output at North Field

The new Qatar Energy logo is pictured during a news conference in Doha, Qatar, October 11, 2021. Qatar News Agency/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
The new Qatar Energy logo is pictured during a news conference in Doha, Qatar, October 11, 2021. Qatar News Agency/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

QatarEnergy chief Saad al-Kaabi announced on Sunday a new expansion of its liquefied natural gas production that will add a further 16 million tons per annum (mtpa) to existing expansion plans, bringing total capacity to 142 mtpa.
With this added boost, the overall expansion of the North Field from 77 mtpa currently to 142 mtpa by 2030 represents an increase of 85% in production, Kaabi said at a press conference in Doha.
State-owned QatarEnergy has already signed a string of supply deals with European and Asian partners in its massive North Field expansion project, which was expected - prior to Sunday's announcement - to produce 126 million mtpa of LNG per annum by 2027, from the current 77 mtpa.
Exploration activities in the west of North Field prompted the company's decision to expand further.
In December, Kaabi told Reuters that QatarEnergy had been drilling wells to assess expansion opportunities beyond the North Field East and North Field South phases.
This latest expansion will require the construction of two LNG trains, in addition to six already underway for the earlier expansions dubbed North Field East and North Field South.



EU May Delay First Counter-tariffs against US to Mid-April

FILE PHOTO: European Union flags flutter outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium August 21, 2020. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: European Union flags flutter outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium August 21, 2020. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
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EU May Delay First Counter-tariffs against US to Mid-April

FILE PHOTO: European Union flags flutter outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium August 21, 2020. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: European Union flags flutter outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium August 21, 2020. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo

The European Union could delay imposition of a first set of counter-measures against the United States over President Donald Trump's steel and aluminium tariffs until mid-April, European Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic said on Thursday.

The European Commission had proposed re-imposing tariffs on 4.5 billion euros ($4.9 billion) of US products on April 1, followed by hitting a further 18 billion euros of US goods on April 13, Reuters said.

"We are now considering to align the timing of the two sets of EU counter-measures so we can consult with member states on both lists simultaneously, and this would also give us extra time for negotiations with our American partners," Sefcovic told a hearing at the European Parliament.

The first set of EU counter-measures includes applying a 50% tariff on US bourbon. Trump threatened to slap a 200% tariff on all wines and other alcoholic products coming from the EU if the bloc went ahead with this.

The Trump administration is also planning further tariffs on April 2.

French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said on Sunday that the EU was probably mistaken in targeting American whiskey, while Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni cautioned EU partners on Tuesday against escalating the trade dispute with the United States.

"I am not certain that responding to tariffs with more tariffs is necessarily a good deal," Meloni, who is close to Trump, said.