Qatar is growing its carbon capture and storage projects with a plan to store more than 5 million tons of carbon emissions (CO2) per annum by 2025, Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, Qatar's energy affairs minister said Tuesday during the 40th Oil & Money Conference in London.
The move to increase its carbon capture and storage capacity is closely linked to the country's target of growing its liquefied natural gas (LNG) volume.
Al-Kaabi in addressing the role of LNG said, 'We believe that natural gas is the destination fuel in that energy transition. It is versatile. It is flexible. It is economic. It is clean.'
He explained that they would spearhead a carbon capture facility in the country.
'We have successfully commissioned a facility at Ras Laffan to become the largest CO2 recovery and sequestration facility in the Middle East and North Africa region with a capacity of 2.1 million tons per annum of CO2,' Al-Kaabi said.
For greenhouse gas emissions, Al-Kaabi said that they are investing hundreds of millions of dollars in the North Field LNG Expansion Project. Through this investment, they intend to apply technologies that will result in a 25% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to similar facilities through substantial reduction of fuel gas consumption by capturing and re-injecting CO2 extracted from the feed gas.
The North Field LNG Expansion Project will increase Qatar's LNG production capacity from 77 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) to 110 Mtpa, which accounts for an LNG production capacity increase of approximately 43%.
Production of first gas from the expansion project is expected by the end of 2023.
He added that great efforts have been made to produce the industry’s most environmentally sustainable LNG.
By Zeynep Beyza Kilic
Anadolu Agency
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