Wednesday, Jan 14, 2009
(Adds official's comments on GTL project with Shell and second project with Sasol)
NEW DELHI (Dow Jones)--Qatar Petroleum's Pearl gas-to-liquids, or GTL, project being built in the Persian Gulf state with Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSB.LN) is on schedule for completion by the end of 2010, a top company executive said Wednesday.
The project is due for completion "by the end of 2010," Saad Al Kaabi, director for oil and gas joint ventures, said on the sidelines of the Petrotech 2009 energy conference in New Delhi.
Asked whether the project's schedule could slip into early 2011, Al Kaabi said "we'll have to wait and see. It's still two years to go. It's a very complex project."
A second GTL project, being developed by QP with South Africa's Sasol Ltd. (SOL.JO), is nearing full production capacity having faced technical difficulties, he added.
"We have had some technical issues. The majority of these technical issues have been resolved and production now is at a much higher level. It is getting closer to" full production capacity, Al Kaabi said.
-By Oliver Klaus, Dow Jones Newswires; +971 4 3644967; oliver.klaus@dowjones.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
14-01-09 0626GMT
