DOHA —
Germany has committed to “fast-track”
the construction of two liquefied natural gas terminals as part of a new long-term
deal with Qatar as it looks to reduce dependence on Russian gas, the Gulf state
said Sunday.
اضافة اعلان
Economic Affairs Minister
Robert Habeck secured the
accord during talks in Doha with its Emir and energy minister who have been
pressing European nations to strike long-term deals to guarantee their
supplies.
European states have been forced to turn to
Qatar in
recent months as they seek an LNG alternative to Russian gas in the wake of
Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Qatar has insisted on long contracts because of the
huge cost of investing in gas production. Already one of the world’s top three
LNG exporters, Qatar plans to increase production by 50 percent by 2027.
Qatar’s energy ministry said that several years of
talks with Germany had never led to “definitive agreements due to the lack of
clarity on the long-term role of gas in Germany’s energy mix and the requisite
LNG import infrastructure.”
It added that in a meeting between Habeck and Energy
Minister
Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, “the German side confirmed that the German
government has taken swift and concrete actions to fast-track the development
of two LNG receiving terminals in Germany as a matter of priority to allow for
the long-term import of LNG to Germany and that such scheme has the full
support of the German government.”
The two sides “agreed that their respective
commercial entities would re-engage and progress discussions on long-term LNG
supplies from Qatar to Germany.”
In Berlin, a German spokeswoman confirmed a
long-term partnership had been struck and that companies would “enter into the
concrete contract negotiations”, the spokeswoman said.
Habeck also held talks in Doha with Emir
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani before heading to the UAE where he is expected to hold
talks on oil supplies.
Ahead of his trip, Habeck told Deutschlandfunk radio
that Germany had major concerns over securing supplies for next winter.
“If we do not obtain more gas next winter and if
deliveries from Russia were to be cut then we would not have enough gas to heat
all our houses and keep all our industry going,” he warned.
Berlin has been criticized over its opposition
to an immediate embargo being imposed on Russian energy supplies as a means of
choking off Moscow’s foreign earnings.
Germany believes a boycott could cause major economic damage
as well as huge increases in energy prices.
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