Natural gas is set to remain front and center of Qatar hydrocarbons future. Early this year the emirate announced another increase to its already massive North Field expansion plans from 126mn t/y to 142mn t/y (MEES, 1 March). With the expansion also yielding huge volumes of ethane, condensate and other NGLs, Qatar is also investing billions of dollars in expanding its petrochemicals sector to capitalize on the feedstock.
In February, representatives of state energy firm QatarEnergy and US partner Chevron Phillips heralded the start of construction of a $6bn petchems complex centered on 2.08mn t/y ethane cracker that will feed the production of 1.68mn t/y of polyethylene, Qatar’s largest petchems export (MEES, 23 February). The facility is due to start up in late 2026. (CONTINUED - 765 WORDS)
