Qatar, Germany explore further opportunities in energy, says envoy

The ninth edition of the Qatar-German Business and Investment Forum, which was held in Berlin recently, puts emphasis on both countries’ efforts to explore further co-operation in various industries, including the energy sector, according to ambassador Hans-Udo Muzel.

Prior to the forum, which was opened by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Geman Chancellor Angela Merkel, Qatar’s high-level delegation held meetings with Germany’s top officials in the public and private sectors.“It was a dense programme,” Muzel told Gulf Times on the sidelines of the forum’s gala dinner, referring to the series of meetings held earlier that day with His Highness the Amir, who was accompanied by six government ministers from Qatar.“His Highness the Amir met with top company officials, while the ministers met with top players of the German industry, and with all blue chip companies and industrial associations from sectors where Qatar is involved,” Muzel continued.The ambassador said he accompanied HE the Minister of Energy and Industry Dr Mohamed bin Saleh al-Sada to the Siemens gas turbine plant in Germany, which is supplying most of the turbines worldwide.“Last year, the 1,000th gas turbine produced by Siemens was installed at the Umm Al Houl Combined Power Plant. This is a huge project, so the minister was also briefed on the current production and new fields of opportunities because Siemens is also going to participate in the LNG extension project, so you also need turbines and compressors for that,” Muzel pointed out.In her opening speech at the forum, Merkel said Germany is already sourcing its gas requirements from suppliers such as the Netherlands, Belgium, and Poland. She stressed that Germany is also working to strengthen and diversify its national network.“But we are still focusing very much on further developing the infrastructure for LNG in Germany. A number of projects are in the pipeline to set up an import terminal in Germany. German companies have to base their purchasing decisions on economic criteria, thus liquid gas from Qatar comes into play,” Merkel stressed.At the forum’s panel discussion, al-Sada said "Qatar's LNG expansion plan requires efforts in the field of finance and the provision of equipment and construction, so this is an opportunity and a suitable ground for German companies to invest in Qatar,” al-Sada said during the panel discussion, which focused on the topic ‘Industrial Development: Key to Doha and Berlin to Diversify Sources of Income.’