Germany to get new flows of QatarEnergy liquefied natural gas

Reuters

• State-owned company signs agreement with ConocoPhillips
• LNG supply period will last at least 15 years
• Deal marks first supply from North Field expansion to Europe

Germany is set to receive new flows of Qatari liquefied natural gas (LNG) from 2026 after QatarEnergy and ConocoPhillips on Tuesday signed two sales and purchase agreements for its export covering at least a 15-year period.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, competition for LNG has become intense, with Europe in particular needing vast amounts to help replace Russian pipeline gas that used to make up almost 40 percent of the continent’s imports.

The deal, the first of its kind to Europe from Qatar’s North Field expansion project, will provide Germany with 2 million tonnes of LNG annually, arriving from Ras Laffan in Qatar to Germany’s northern LNG terminal of Brunsbuettel

QatarEnergy’s CEO Saad al-Kaabi said in a joint statement with ConocoPhillips CEO Ryan Lance: “The agreements mark the first ever long term LNG supply agreement to Germany, with a supply period that extends for at least 15 years, thus contributing to Germany’s long term energy security.”

A ConocoPhillips subsidiary will purchase the agreed quantities to be delivered to the German receiving terminal, which is currently under development.

QatarEnergy and German utility firms have been thrashing out LNG deals for much of this year as Berlin looks for alternatives to Russia, which is Germany’s biggest gas supplier.

Europe’s biggest economy, which mainly relies on natural gas to power its industry, aims to replace all Russian energy imports by as soon as mid-2024.

Talks ongoing

German economy minister Robert Habeck said the 15-year term of the deal was “great”.

ICIS head of energy analytics Andreas Schroeder said the starting date of 2026 was late, as Germany needed LNG for 2023 and 2024.

“If German players do not secure sufficient volumes at an OK price for 2023, they will have to revert to spot LNG markets, and expose themselves to global price volatility.”

Kaabi said negotiations were still taking place with other German companies for further supply.

The deal comes a few days after QatarEnergy signed a 27-year sales and purchase agreement with China’s Sinopec. The North Field is part of the world’s biggest gas field, which Qatar shares with Iran.

QatarEnergy earlier this year signed five deals for North Field East (NFE), the first and larger of the two-phase North Field expansion plan, which includes six LNG trains that will ramp up Qatar’s liquefaction capacity to 126 million tonnes per year by 2027 from 77 million.