Qatari energy minister retains post after cabinet reshuffle

Qatari energy minister Saad al-Kaabi has retained his post in the new cabinet, according to a royal court statement Tuesday, as the country's emir appointed a new prime minister and reshuffled ministerial portfolios in the world's biggest exporter of LNG.

Kaabi was first appointed as minister of state for energy affairs and deputy chairman of state-owned Qatar Petroleum in November 2018.

Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, on Tuesday appointed Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa al-Thani as prime minister, replacing Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser al-Thani, the royal court said, without providing a reason for the reshuffle.

Qatar plans to boost its LNG production capacity to 126 million mt/year by 2027, a 64% increase from the current 77 million mt/year, Kaabi said in November.

Qatar Petroleum had previously said it intended to raise LNG production capacity to 110 million mt/year.

The offshore North Field, where most of Qatar's gas is pumped, has supported the country's position as the world's biggest LNG exporter for years, with shipments averaging around 300 million cu m/day. But a raft of recent LNG projects in Australia mean Qatar will likely temporarily lose its crown as the top LNG supplier this year.

Qatar last year supplied 76 million mt of LNG, which made up almost a quarter of the total global LNG supply of an estimated 348 million mt.

Qatar also is a key regional pipeline supplier of gas, sending up to 2 Bcf/d (57 million cu m/d) via the Dolphin pipeline to the UAE.