Qatar plans to expand its LNG trading operations to handle up to 40 million tonnes of non-Qatari gas annually by 2030, alongside a major boost in domestic production.
Qatar is preparing to significantly scale up its liquefied natural gas (LNG) trading operations, with plans to handle between 30 and 40 million tonnes of non-Qatari LNG annually by 2030, according to Minister of Energy Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi.
Speaking on Tuesday at the 2025 Qatar Economic Forum in Doha, Al-Kaabi said: “The ambition is by 2030 to reach somewhere in the range of 30–40 million tons of non-Qatari LNG traded by our trading group.”
The expansion is intended to complement Qatar’s rapidly growing domestic LNG production, which is already set to more than double in the coming years.
Al-Kaabi, who is also CEO of QatarEnergy, noted that the company’s trading division, established a few years ago, currently manages around 10 million tonnes of physical LNG annually, more than half of which comprises non-Qatari volumes.
He explained that QatarEnergy moved to develop its own trading arm after observing the profits made by international traders reselling Qatari cargoes.
“What we saw is that there was money left on the table,” Al-Kaabi said. “We have the capability and can actually establish a trading organisation – and we did.”
In parallel with this trading expansion, Qatar is also aggressively increasing its own LNG production.
From a current annual capacity of 77 million tonnes, total output is expected to reach 160 million tonnes by the end of the decade.
This includes domestic contributions, as well as production from the Golden Pass project in the United States, where QatarEnergy holds a majority stake.
The Golden Pass facility is nearing the start of operations, while domestic output from the North Field East development is slated to begin by mid-2026.
To support this growth, Qatar is adding 128 LNG carriers to its fleet, which currently consists of 70 vessels. While Qatar traditionally favours long-term contracts, the expansion of its trading operations signals a growing interest in short-term and flexible deals that allow for quicker responses to shifts in global demand.
Global LNG demand remains robust, particularly in Europe, where countries are still adjusting to reduced Russian gas supplies, and in Asia, where consumption continues to rise.
Al-Kaabi reaffirmed Qatar’s long-term confidence in LNG demand, pointing to factors such as population growth and the energy requirements of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence.
“The need for electricity and power is huge,” he said. “We are not worried at all about having a supply glut or anything like that.”
He also revealed that QatarEnergy is in ongoing talks to supply additional LNG volumes to buyers in China, India, and other countries.
However, he acknowledged the complexity of such negotiations. “You always have sticking points with all negotiations,” he said. “Everybody wants a better price deal from both sides.”
While the timeline for Qatar’s new LNG supply projects has shifted slightly, Al-Kaabi confirmed that the North Field East project is on track to begin exports by mid-2026. This marks a revision from earlier projections that anticipated operations could begin as soon as 2023.
According to QatarEnergy’s website, exports from North Field East are scheduled to begin in 2026, although a specific launch date has yet to be announced.
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