Qatar accounts for more than 81% of Middle East's current annual LNG liquefaction capacity of 95mn tonnes, according to the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF).The country is set to spearhead the region's additional LNG annual liquefaction capacity of 124mn tonnes by 2050, Doha-based GECF said in its latest Global Gas Outlook.Qatar’s NFE and NFS expansion projects, currently under construction, will add 48mn tonnes annually and the NFW expansion project to add another 16 mtpy.By the end of 2023, NFW was considered an announced project and its development is underway.Additionally, Oman is considering adding 1 mtpy of liquefaction capacity, and Iraq and Iran may develop LNG facilities in the 2030s and 2040s, respectively.The UAE’s planned new additional liquefaction facility, originally scheduled for Fujairah, has been relocated to Ruwais (Abu Dhabi) with a capacity of 9.6 mtpy.Utilisation of the region’s increased capacity is expected to stay around 92% by 2050, GECF noted.The Dolphin gas pipeline, the largest in the Middle East, connects Qatar’s North Field to the UAE and Oman.With a capacity of 33 bcm annually, it currently operates at around 62% of its capacity. In 2023, it delivered 18.8 bcm to the UAE and 1.5 bcm to Oman under long-term contracts that are expiring in 2032.Iran also has two pipelines supplying natural gas to Iraq, serving the Baghdad and Basra regions.Qatar’s LNG exports are expected to grow by 2.2 times, reaching 170mn tonnes annually by 2050, up from 78mt, while pipeline exports are projected to decrease from 20 bcm to smaller volumes by 2040.The UAE, which exports and imports LNG and pipeline gas, exported 7 bcm (5mt) of LNG in 2023 and primarily imported gas from Qatar via the Dolphin pipeline, amounting to 18.8 bcm.LNG exports are handled through the Das Island liquefaction plant in Abu Dhabi, which has a capacity of 5.6 mtpy.Oman’s natural gas trade will continue to consist predominantly of LNG exports. In 2023, Oman exported 12mt of LNG, with over 90% of the exports directed to the Asia Pacific region, GECF noted.Oman’s LNG exports are expected to remain steady at 10 mt by 2030, gradually declining to 8mt by 2040 and further decreasing by 2050.The country operates a single LNG liquefaction facility at Qalhat, with three units and a combined capacity of 10.4mtpy.In early 2024, the country, in partnership with TotalEnergies, reached a final investment decision (FID) to develop the 1 mtpy Marsa (Sohar) LNG bunkering project, which is scheduled to commence operations in 2028.This project is set to establish Marsa LNG as the Middle East’s first LNG bunkering hub, positioning LNG as an alternative marine fuel to help reduce emissions in the shipping industry.Despite its dominant role in the global oil market, Saudi Arabia currently uses all of its gas production domestically and has no immediate plans or strategies to export LNG or pipeline gas.However, in the long term, the country seeks to position itself as a major player in the LNG market through strategic investments and partnerships, GECF said.