Doha: The Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies Patrick Pouyanne, revealed that the volume of his company’s investments in the North Field East Expansion Project, for which the partnership contract was signed with QatarEnergy today, amounts to about $2bn, according to preliminary estimates.
He also expected, in an interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), that the Al Kharsaah plant would be operated by solar energy next July, to be officially inaugurated in October of this year. He said that the official opening of the Al Kharsaah plant will coincide with the start of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, where Qatar has committed to being a carbon-neutral edition.
He pointed out that the company has a strategy to promote and develop the gas sector, considering the agreement signed with QatarEnergy today very important, and it is a new addition to the programmed plans.
Pouyanne stressed the importance of the timing of the announcement of the new partnership in light of the huge demand for liquefied natural gas in Europe at the present time.
“We have a lot of demand for gas in Europe, so it is important for us of course to have more gas, and more energy resources in Qatar in the long term,” he said.
He added that the Europeans have been partners with the State of Qatar for a long time, stressing that the State of Qatar will contribute to the security of supplies to Europe in partnership with European companies.
He stressed that the world needs more gas, considering that gas is a good complement to renewable energy sources, as it provides the ability to provide powerful energy sources to consumers. It is a reliable source of electricity, with a combination of renewable energy and gas, and in the case of new projects can also make the process much cleaner.
He pointed out that TotalEnergies has many projects with Qatar, adding: “We are discussing together a long-term partnership, and we have this series of LNG projects now, and maybe in the future as well.”
He pointed out that discussions with the Qatari side also include a possible cooperation on the marketing of liquefied natural gas, describing it as important in light of global challenges.
