Qatar awards contracts for oilfield expansion

Reuters/Mohammed Dabbous

• Al Shaheen third phase
• Contracts worth $6bn
• 100,000 bpd boost

QatarEnergy has awarded contracts worth $6 billion for the third development phase at its largest oilfield, Al Shaheen.

The deals are part of the Ru’ya project, designed to increase Al Shaheen’s production capacity by about 100,000 barrels per day.

The third phase is intended to produce 550 million barrels of oil over five years, with the first oil expected in 2027, QatarEnergy said in a statement.

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Located 80 kilometres north-east offshore of Ras Laffan, the field is operated by North Oil Company, a joint venture between QatarEnergy, with a 70 percent interest, and the French energy giant TotalEnergies retaining 30 percent.

Qatar, the world’s second-biggest liquefied natural gas exporter, is a minor oil producer.

Al Shaheen’s output has peaked at 300,000 bpd since 2022. The field accounts for about half of the country’s crude production, Qatar energy minister Saad Al Kaabi said in the statement.

The plan’s third phase includes drilling more than 200 wells and the installation of a new centralised process complex, remote wellhead platforms and associated pipelines, QatarEnergy added.