One of the LNG vessels of the Qatargas fleet.

DOHA: The opening of the Qatargas 2 project today represents yet another technological milestone that will make clean-burning natural gas available to significantly more people across the globe. Designed to produce 7.8 million tonnes per year (MTA), the Qatargas 2 Trains are about 50 percent larger than any global liquefaction facility currently operating.

Rex W Tillerson, Chairman and CEO of Exxon Mobil Corporation, said: “ExxonMobil is proud to play a key role with Qatar Petroleum (QP) in developing this technology and congratulates Qatargas Management and the Qatargas 2 Project Team on achieving this extraordinary milestone.” Tillerson leads a delegation of ExxonMobil executives attending the inauguration in the presence of H E Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah, Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy, and other top government officials and VIP guests.

Qatargas 2 represents the industry’s first linkage of natural gas production, liquefaction, shipping and regasification infrastructure together into a single fully integrated LNG development and supply initiative. In addition to Trains 4 and 5, each with a design capacity of 7.8 MTA, the Qatargas 2 joint venture encompasses a fleet of world-class Q-Max and Q-Flex carriers and the South Hook LNG Receiving Terminal in Milford Haven, Wales. Liquefied natural gas is one of the fastest growing sources of energy supplies. Global LNG demand is expected to reach approximately 470 MTA by 2030, an increase of over 200 percent since 2005.

Tillerson also pointed out: “We believe that our partnerships with QP have and will continue to play a key role in Qatar’s rapid transformation into the world’s largest supplier of reliable LNG and we look forward to our continuing partnerships in the State of Qatar.”

The peninsula