Qatar

With Qatar looking to boost diversification in its hydrocarbon extraction-dependent economy, two downstream operators in the natural gas industry have recently come to the fore.

As Qatar is heavily dependent on the hydrocarbons industry for economic growth and development, protecting the country's environment from any potentially harmful effects has been a matter of great concern in recent years.

This month saw the grand inauguration of Qatar’s Education City, a massive undertaking aimed at positioning Qatar not only as a regional leader, but as a global one in the economy of the 21st century.

Earlier this month, Qatar witnessed an historic milestone in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry when Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited (II) and ExxonMobil signed a Heads of Agreement (HOA) to provide the US with 15.6m tonnes of LNG per year. The deal is expected to bring some USD12bn to the country, the largest single investment in Qatar's growing energy industry. Furthermore, the project will see the country become the single largest supplier of LNG to the US market.