Qatar and Germany spur clean, affordable energy, facilitate its transition

The agreement signed between Qatar and Germany on energy partnership on Friday is in line with the country’s commitment to the responsible production of clean and affordable energy to facilitate energy transition.HE the Minister of State for Energy Affairs, Saad bin Sherida al-Kaabi, and the German Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Dr Robert Habeck, signed a Joint Declaration of Intent in Berlin to further promote the co-operation between the two countries in the field of energy. The agreement builds on the ongoing successful dialogue between the two countries and is expected to develop into a mutually beneficial ‘Energy Partnership’ between Qatar and Germany through building LNG trade relations as well as pursuing the climate action ambitions of both countries.It is expected that such partnership will further strengthen Germany’s energy supply diversification through LNG imports from Qatar, while also facilitating bilateral cooperation in hydrogen and renewable sources. The agreement is the culmination of the continuous dialogue between the two countries, covering a number of important energy-related issues and potential for deepened co-operation.Germany aims to diversify its gas supply with the help of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in order to foster energy security during the transition period towards carbon neutrality.Both countries will also further benefit from an intensified knowledge exchange on topics related to the energy transition, ranging from the expansion of renewable energies, its regulation and system integration, to energy efficiency and demand-side management.QatarEnergy’s updated Sustainability Strategy focuses on three priority areas- climate change and environmental action, responsible operations, and social and economic development.In addition, and in line with global momentum for climate action, numerous targets have been revised to step-up ambitions.As the world’s largest LNG-producing company, QatarEnergy believes it has a significant role to play to mitigate climate change.This will be achieved by implementing its Sustainability Strategy, through applying effective measures to curb emissions, producing cleaner LNG using the latest proven emissions reduction technologies, expanding renewables capacity, and compensating for residual emissions through CCS and Nature-Based Solutions, where appropriate.Recently, QatarEnergy signed separate agreements with Shell and Korea’s Hydrogen Convergence Alliance (H2Korea) for co-operation in the field of hydrogen energy both in Qatar and internationally. These efforts will focus on sectors such as industry and transportation, where hydrogen could offer a credible and material decarbonisation route.In addition, QatarEnergy is placing significant focus on improving its environmental footprint and enhancing the resilience of biodiversity in Qatar through adding nature-based solutions that would eliminate CO2 emissions and enhance local habitats to improve the quality of life.Through its updated Sustainability Strategy, QatarEnergy reaffirms its commitment to the protection of the environment, while establishing harmony between economic, social, and environmental objectives in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030.The Energy Partnership between Qatar and Germany will support high-level intergovernmental dialogue on energy-related topics. It will build bridges between both countries and bring together stakeholders from the public and private sectors.Clearly, energy partnerships and energy dialogues have proven to be an excellent platform for bilateral co-operation in the energy sector.