QatarEnergy Names Shell Partner for LNG Expansion Project

Qatar's Energy Minister, Saad al-Kaabi, and CEO of Shell, Ben van Beurden, gesture after a singing agreement at a press conference in Doha, Qatar, October 23, 2022. (Reuters)
Qatar's Energy Minister, Saad al-Kaabi, and CEO of Shell, Ben van Beurden, gesture after a singing agreement at a press conference in Doha, Qatar, October 23, 2022. (Reuters)
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QatarEnergy Names Shell Partner for LNG Expansion Project

Qatar's Energy Minister, Saad al-Kaabi, and CEO of Shell, Ben van Beurden, gesture after a singing agreement at a press conference in Doha, Qatar, October 23, 2022. (Reuters)
Qatar's Energy Minister, Saad al-Kaabi, and CEO of Shell, Ben van Beurden, gesture after a singing agreement at a press conference in Doha, Qatar, October 23, 2022. (Reuters)

QatarEnergy's chief executive on Sunday named Shell a partner on the Gulf Arab state's North Field South expansion, part of the world's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) project.

Shell will have a 9.3% share of the project and QatarEnergy will keep 75%, Saad al-Kaabi, who is also state minister for energy, said at a news conference.

The development contract for North Field South would be awarded in the first quarter of 2023, Kaabi said.

QatarEnergy was open to discussing working with Shell in all energy sectors, he added.

The North Field is part of the world's biggest gas field that Qatar shares with Iran, which calls its share South Pars.

State-owned QatarEnergy earlier this year signed deals for North Field East, the first and larger phase of the two-phase North Field expansion plan, which includes six LNG trains that will ramp up Qatar's liquefaction capacity from 77 million tons per annum to 126 million tons by 2027.

TotalEnergies, Shell, Exxon, ConocoPhillips and Eni took stakes in the North Field East expansion phase, and last month TotalEnergies was named as the first partner in the North Field South project.

QatarEnergy had said partners for the North Field South would be selected from those already involved in the first phase.



Saudi Arabia Advances to Become the ‘Silicon Valley’ of Mining

The Saudi Energy Minister reviews data on critical mineral extraction and processing in several countries (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Saudi Energy Minister reviews data on critical mineral extraction and processing in several countries (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia Advances to Become the ‘Silicon Valley’ of Mining

The Saudi Energy Minister reviews data on critical mineral extraction and processing in several countries (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Saudi Energy Minister reviews data on critical mineral extraction and processing in several countries (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia is pushing to become a global hub for critical minerals, aiming to be the “Silicon Valley” of mining. At the fourth Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh, the kingdom announced new deals, investment plans, and discoveries.
Industry Minister Bandar Al-Khorayef said Saudi Arabia will explore mineral opportunities across 50,000 square kilometers this year. The Kingdom also unveiled a $100 billion mining investment plan, with $20 billion already in advanced stages or under construction.
Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman announced that Aramco has identified “promising” lithium concentrations exceeding 400 parts per million in its operational areas, with lithium production in the kingdom expected to begin as early as 2027.
In line with this, Aramco revealed a joint venture with Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma’aden) to explore and produce minerals critical to the energy transition, including extracting lithium from high-concentration deposits.
The latest edition of the Future Minerals Forum brought together over 20,000 participants from 170 countries and featured 250 speakers across more than 70 sessions.
Saudi ministers and international officials highlighted key challenges facing the mining sector, including the need for increased private sector investment, advanced technology, regulatory frameworks, supply chain issues, carbon emissions from production, and a shortage of skilled talent.
In early 2024, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources raised its estimate of the kingdom’s untapped mineral resources from $1.3 trillion to $2.5 trillion, driven by new discoveries.
At last year’s forum, the ministry launched a $182 million mineral exploration incentive program to reduce investment risks, support new commodities, promote green projects, and empower small-scale mining operators.
Additionally, Al-Khorayef launched the Mining Innovation Studio at the Future Mineral Forum 2025.
In his opening remarks, Al-Khorayef stated that the new studio was designed to attract global talent and accelerate cutting-edge technology, in alignment with Riyadh’s vision to become the “Silicon Valley of mining”.
He clarified that the Kingdom is promoting upcoming exploration opportunities across 5,000 square kilometers of mineralized belts in 2025 as it continues its steadfast growth in the mining sector.
Al-Khorayef further noted that the Saudi mining sector is the fastest growing globally, and affirmed that its mineral potential stands at an estimated $2.5 trillion.
He elaborated that the allocation of new exploration sites to tap mineral wealth is part of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to establish mining as the third pillar of the Kingdom’s industrial economy.