Qatar, ExxonMobil to co-operate on natural gas in North America

HE the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor al-Thani with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the Business and Investment in Qatar Forum in Berlin yesterday. Organised by Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two-day forum  brings together a large gathering of ministers, businessmen and decision-makers from Qatar as well as Germany. The forum aims to promote Qatar’s role in boosting business and investment and highlight the opportunities the country offers to foreign investors.

Reuters/Berlin

Qatar Petroleum International and Exxon Mobil Corporation yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding to assess jointly unconventional gas resources in North America and global opportunities in liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Both companies are involved in LNG projects in Qatar, the world’s No 1 LNG exporter. They also have shared interests in LNG terminals in the United Kingdom, Italy and the US.

In a joint statement Qatar Petroleum International (QPI) and US oil and gas company ExxonMobil said the agreement sought to give QPI opportunities to explore various unconventional natural gas resources and associated liquids.

The companies signed the MoU at the Business and Investment in Qatar Forum in Berlin.

“(It) signifies our joint interest in expanding our partnership both domestically and internationally in order to address the growing and evolving role of natural gas, which continues to play a larger role in meeting the needs of an increasing population,” said Nasser al-Jaidah, chief executive officer of QPI.

Earlier yesterday, Centrica, Britain’s biggest energy supplier, and QPI said they had bought gas and oil assets in Canada from Suncor Energy for C$1bn ($986.73mn) including some with potential for shale gas production