DOHA: Qatar continues to be the largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter in the world, accounting for 25.5 percent of overall global LNG exports in 2010, according to QNB Capital analysis. The main reason behind Qatar's phenomenal export increase was added production through train 6 at Qatargas 3 and train 7 at RasGas 3. Both these trains added 15.6 million tonnes to Qatar's overall production capacity in 2010.
UK overtook Japan as the main destination for Qatar's LNG exports in 2010 with a total of 10.2 million tonnes of LNG shipped to the UK, followed by India with 7.7 million tonnes , South Korea and Japan with 7.5 million tonnes each. QP and ExxonMobil had set up a joint venture (referred to as Qatargas 2) in 2002, with the aim of supplying up to 14 million tonnes of LNG annually to the UK.
The top global LNG exporters in 2010, included Qatar with 55.7 million tonnes (25.5 percent of world total), followed by Indonesia with 23.1 million tonnes (10.5 percent), Malaysia with 22.5 million tonnes (10.3 percent), Australia with 18.6 million tonnes (8.5 percent), Nigeria with 17.6 million tonnes (8 percent) and Trinidad & Tobago with 15 million tonnes (6.8 percent).
Qatar has been the world's leading LNG exporter since 2006, and accounted for 14.7 percent of overall global LNG trade during that year. Qatar will continue to be the leading global LNG exporter in 2011, with full production capacity reaching over 77 million tonnes by the end of the year.
Global LNG trade increased by 22.6 percent in 2010 to reach 218.8 million tonnes, compared to 178.5 million tonnes in 2009. This growth was led by Qatar, whose LNG exports increased by 53.0 percent in 2010 to reach 55.7 million tonnes, compared to 36.4 million tonnes in 2009.
Indonesia is the second largest LNG exporter in the world, with a total of 23.1 million tonnes in 2010, followed by Malaysia with 22.5 million tonnes and Australia with 18.6 million tonnes.
British Petroleum (BP) in its recently released annual Statistical Review of World Energy stated that global energy consumption had rebounded strongly in 2010, driven mainly by economic recovery.
World primary energy consumption grew by 5.6 percent in 2010, which was the largest increase (in percentage terms) since 1973. Energy consumption growth in 2010 was witnessed in all regions throughout the world, with Chinese consumption growing by 11.2 percent.
Oil continues to be world's leading fuel in terms of global energy consumption. In 2010, oil accounted for 33.6 percent of world energy consumption, followed by coal with 29.6 percent, natural gas with 23.8 percent, and others with 13 percent. Global natural gas consumption grew by 7.4 percent in 2010, the fastest since 1984.
© The Peninsula 2011
