Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs and CEO of QatarEnergy, Saad bin Sherida Al Kaabi, emphasized the vital role of fuel—especially natural gas—in driving global economic growth. Speaking during a leadership dialogue at the World Gas Conference (WGC) 2025 in Beijing, Al Kaabi stated that “economic growth worldwide cannot be achieved without fuel,” underscoring natural gas as the most reliable and accessible energy source for nations.
He noted that while a diverse energy mix is necessary to meet global needs, gas will remain the “backbone of growth” for economies well into the next century. “We need all kinds of fuels,” Al Kaabi said, “but natural gas stands out as the best option—reliable, affordable, and available.”
Al Kaabi acknowledged that each country’s energy mix will vary due to factors such as solar, wind, or rainfall variability. “For us in Qatar,” he explained, “we enjoy abundant sunshine and currently meet 15% of our electricity demand from solar energy. Our target is to double that to 30%.”
Discussing Qatar’s major gas development projects, Al Kaabi highlighted the North Field expansion, a central component of Qatar’s LNG leadership. “The first LNG train from the North Field East project, with a production capacity of 32 million tonnes per annum, will launch by mid-2026,” he said. “Other trains will follow, and the North Field West project will enter construction in 2027.”
He added that Qatar’s total LNG output will more than double—from 77 million tonnes to 160 million tonnes annually—when production from Qatar’s Golden Pass facility in Texas begins later this year.
