French oil company Total Energies has taken a 25% stake to develop Qatar's largest gas field, as the Gulf state aims to increase its output and respond to higher global demand for liquefied natural gas.

State-owned Qatar Energy will hold the remaining 75% of the NFE LNG project, which has a capacity of 32 million tonnes per annum, Total Energies said. Qatar is working with international energy companies on the first and largest phase of the nearly $30 billion NFE project expansion.

Patrick Pouyanne, Chairman and CEO of Total Energies, said: "With its low cost and low greenhouse gas emissions - thanks to carbon capture and storage - the North Field expansion will be an exemplary and significant contribution to our low carbon LNG growth strategy "This new partnership will allow us to strengthen our global LNG portfolio and, together with Qatar, it will support our ability to contribute to European energy security."

The NFE, launched by Qatar Energy in 2019, is currently under construction. The plan is to increase Qatar's total LNG export capacity from 77 million tons per year to about 110 million tons per year by 2027, thanks to the construction of four 8 million tons per year trains. The upstream portion of the project will develop the southeastern portion of the field, with eight platforms, 80 wells and gas pipelines to onshore plants. Keywords: engineering construction, engineering news

Saad Kabi, Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs, said: “The North Field East project is an achievement that will not only ensure optimal use of Qatar’s natural resources, but will also provide the world with the cleaner and more reliable energy it needs. "Editor/XingWentao