LNG storage tanks at PetroChina's receiving terminal in Dalian, China. Reuters
LNG storage tanks at PetroChina's receiving terminal in Dalian, China. Reuters
LNG storage tanks at PetroChina's receiving terminal in Dalian, China. Reuters
LNG storage tanks at PetroChina's receiving terminal in Dalian, China. Reuters

QatarEnergy signs agreement with China’s Sinopec for North Field expansion project


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QatarEnergy has signed a partnership agreement with China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec) for the North Field South expansion project.

The companies also signed a long-term sales and purchase agreement for the delivery of 3 million tonnes per annum of liquefied natural gas from the NFS project to Sinopec’s China terminals for 27 years, Qatar’s state-owned energy company said on Saturday.

Under the terms of the agreement, QatarEnergy will transfer a 5 per cent stake to Sinopec in a joint venture company that owns the equivalent of 6 mtpa of LNG production capacity in the NFS project.

The agreements were signed in Shanghai by Qatar's energy minister and chief executive of QatarEnergy Saad Al Kaabi and Ma Yong-sheng, the Chairman of Sinopec. Photo: Qatar Energy
The agreements were signed in Shanghai by Qatar's energy minister and chief executive of QatarEnergy Saad Al Kaabi and Ma Yong-sheng, the Chairman of Sinopec. Photo: Qatar Energy

NFS is the second expansion phase of the North Field gasfield, one of the largest non-associated natural gasfields in the world.

The North Field Expansion development plan includes six LNG trains, which will help to ramp up Qatar’s liquefaction capacity to 126 mtpa by 2027, from 77 mtpa currently.

In June, QatarEnergy also entered into a 27-year agreement with China National Petroleum Corporation for the delivery of four million tonnes of LNG a year.

“These historic milestones are a testament to the excellent bilateral relations between the People’s Republic of China and the State of Qatar as well as between Sinopec and QatarEnergy,” the Doha-based company said.

Global LNG trade hit a high of $450 billion in 2022 as Europe scrambled to secure supplies to replace Russian gas, according to the International Energy Agency.

Despite a rise in demand, LNG supply grew by only 5.5 per cent last year, mostly due to maintenance at large export terminals. Freeport LNG’s Texas-based plant – one of the world’s largest export centres of the fuel – was shut down after a fire in June 2022.

After becoming the world’s largest LNG importer in 2021, China’s imports of the fuel fell by 20 per cent last year amid lower demand and high spot prices.

The IEA expects global natural gas demand to slow in the coming years amid declining consumption in mature markets due to an “accelerated” roll-out of renewables and improved energy efficiency.

Demand is projected to grow by 1.6 per cent a year between 2022 and 2026, down from an average of 2.5 per cent a year between 2017 and 2021, the Paris-based agency said in its Gas 2023 Medium-Term Market Report last month.

China, the world’s second-largest economy, is set to account for about half of the total growth in demand until 2026 as the country uses the fuel for industrial production and power generation.

Company%20profile
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The specs: 2018 Kia Picanto

Price: From Dh39,500

Engine: 1.2L inline four-cylinder

Transmission: Four-speed auto

Power: 86hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque: 122Nm @ 4,000rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 6.0L / 100km

Red flags
  • Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
  • Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
  • Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
  • Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
  • Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.

Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe

Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010

Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille

Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm

Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year

Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”

Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners

TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013 

The bio

Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district

Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school

Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family

His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people

Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned

Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates

'Morbius'

Director: Daniel Espinosa 

Stars: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona

Rating: 2/5

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

If you go

The Flights

Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Johannesburg from Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively. Economy return tickets cost from Dh2,650, including taxes.

The trip

Worldwide Motorhoming Holidays (worldwidemotorhomingholidays.co.uk) operates fly-drive motorhome holidays in eight destinations, including South Africa. Its 14-day Kruger and the Battlefields itinerary starts from Dh17,500, including campgrounds, excursions, unit hire and flights. Bobo Campers has a range of RVs for hire, including the 4-berth Discoverer 4 from Dh600 per day.

Director: Paul Weitz
Stars: Kevin Hart
3/5 stars

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

Scores in brief:

Boost Defenders 205-5 in 20 overs
(Colin Ingram 84 not out, Cameron Delport 36, William Somerville 2-28)
bt Auckland Aces 170 for 5 in 20 overs
(Rob O’Donnell 67 not out, Kyle Abbott 3-21).

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

Pad Man

Dir: R Balki

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte

Three-and-a-half stars

Schedule for Asia Cup

Sept 15: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (Dubai)

Sept 16: Pakistan v Qualifier (Dubai)

Sept 17: Sri Lanka v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 18: India v Qualifier (Dubai)

Sept 19: India v Pakistan (Dubai)

Sept 20: Bangladesh v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi) Super Four

Sept 21: Group A Winner v Group B Runner-up (Dubai) 

Sept 21: Group B Winner v Group A Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 23: Group A Winner v Group A Runner-up (Dubai)

Sept 23: Group B Winner v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 25: Group A Winner v Group B Winner (Dubai)

Sept 26: Group A Runner-up v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 28: Final (Dubai)

Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

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Updated: November 05, 2023, 7:45 AM`