Qatar's Legal and Organisational Framework for Exploration and Production of Natural Gas Reserves
Type
E-journal
Date
7 Nov 2012
Jurisdiction
Qatar
Taxonomy
Gas
Copyright
LexisNexis
Relevant company
Clyde & Co
Legal reference
Qatar Decree-Law No. 10/1974, Qatar Law No. 3/2007, Qatar Law No. 30/2002, Qatar Ministerial Decision No. 4/2005
Analysis
The State of Qatar (Qatar) has the third largest proven gas reserves in the world after Russia and Iran. Its reserves account for approximately 14% of the world's total. Qatar is also the world's leading producer of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquid fuels using gas-to-liquids (GTL) technology.
Virtually all of Qatar's proven reserves are located in the North Field. The North Field extends into Iranian sovereign territory where it is known as South Pars. It is estimated by the United States Energy Information Administration (EIA) to be the largest non-associated gas field in the world. Qatar has over 100 years of proven gas reserves at projected long-term production levels.
Qatar began exporting LNG only in 1997. Qatar's LNG sector is led by Qatargas Operating Company Limited and RasGas Company Limited. These are purely operating companies. They do not own the LNG facilities or the LNG itself. There are specific joint venture companies that own one or more of the LNG trains and the corresponding LNG.