Gas projects in the Gulf and other regional countries will boost the total Arab liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capacity to its highest level of around 192 million tonnes in 2027, an Arab energy official reports.

Capacity is estimated at around 110 million tonnes per year and the bulk of the projected increase will come from Qatar, Oman and the UAE, said Jamal Loughani, secretary general of the Kuwaiti-based Arab Energy Organisation (AEG).

Loughani, quoted by AEG’s monthly bulletin published this week, noted that key LNG projects in the region include expansions in Qatar, the 9.6 million tonne Ruwais LNG project in Abu Dhabi and Oman’s Marsa LNG, a Sohar-based joint venture between France’s TotalEnergies and OQ (Oman Oil).

“The UAE and Oman projects, besides expansions in Qatar and those in Mauritania, will bolster the Arab LNG export capacity by nearly 40 percent to 192 million tonnes in 2027...this will naturally boost the Arab share of the global LNG market,” he said.

He noted that Arab LNG exports recovered slightly in the first quarter of 2025 following a decline by around 3.4 million tonnes in 2024 due to a sharp fall in the supplies of Egypt and Algeria.

From around 112 million tonnes in 2023, total Arab LNG exports slumped by nearly 3 per cent to about 108.6 million tonnes in 2024, he said.

Qatar, which controls the world’s 3rd largest proven gas deposits after Russia and Iran, is boosting its export capacity of 77 million tonnes by 85% to nearly 142 million tonnes in 2030, an increase of 65 mtpy from projects at its gigantic offshore North Field.

Qatar’s proven natural gas reserves stood at around 23.8 trillion cubic metres at the end of 2024, concentrated mostly in the 6,000-sq-km North Field.

(Writing by Nadim Kawach; Editing by Anoop Menon)

(anoop.menon@lseg.com)

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