Germany Agrees Liquid Gas Deal With Qatar

QatarEnergy  has agreed to export two million tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Germany annually.

The deal will see Qatar sell gas to ConocoPhillips, which will then send it to the LNG facility in Brunsbüttel, with deliveries set to begin in 2026.

Germany consumes over 100 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year, with supplies from Russia previously accounting for more than 50% of consumption. The agreement reached with QatarEnergy will see deliveries of around 2.7 billion cubic meters per year.

Energy Minister and QatarEnergy CEO Saad Sherida al-Kaabi said that Qatar wishes to “contribute to efforts to support energy security in Germany and Europe”

“Germany represents the largest gas market in Europe … and we are committed to support its energy security,” the minister said.

Germany has been one of the leading countries in criticism of Qatar’s treatment of LGBTQ people and foreign workers, with the spotlight currently on the Gulf nation due to the World Cup.

However, economics minister Robert Habeck, a member of the Green Party, has also said that Germany must diversify its energy sources in order to wean itself off Russian gas imports.

In response to European countries’ support for Ukraine following the Russian invasion, Moscow has reduced gas supply to Europe. Germany stopped receiving Russian gas completely in August.