U.S. Energy Information Administration –
Qatar Country Analysis Brief – January 2011
Qatar holds the world’s third largest natural gas reserves and is the single largest supplier of liquefied natural gas. Qatar is also a member of OPEC and exports considerable amounts of oil.
For all the latest information on the energy situation in Qatar, see the updated Country Analysis Brief:
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/Qatar/Background.html
Background
Qatar is a member of the Organization of the Oil Exporting Countries (OPEC) and is a significant oil producer. The Qatari government has devoted more resources recently to the development of natural gas, particularly for export as liquefied natural gas (LNG). Though only producing LNG since 1997, Qatar is now the world’s largest supplier of LNG. Qatar is also a member and host country for the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), an organization formed in 2001 to promote the interest of the world’s major gas producers.
In 2010, preliminary estimates from Qatar National Bank indicate that the oil and gas sectors accounted for over half of Qatar’s 2010 GDP. Qatar is wholly dependent on oil and natural gas for all of its primary energy consumption. Although the transportation sector continues to contribute significantly to growth in oil demand, all electricity capacity in Qatar is gas-fired. Qatar’s total primary energy consumption in 2008 surpassed one quadrillion Btu for the first time, having almost doubled since 2001. This rapid growth was driven by the similarly rapid growth of its economy. In fact, Qatar’s energy intensity (total consumption per dollar of GDP) increased by less than five percent over that same period.
>>Read the full Country Analysis here.
