France secures Qatar LNG supplies

French energy major TotalEnergies has sealed a gas supply deal with Middle Eastern liquefied natural gas (LNG) producer QatarEnergy for up to 3.5m tons a year for 27 years.

QatarEnergy said it will deliver LNG ex-ship to the Fos Cavaou LNG receiving terminal in southern France, starting in 2026.

The LNG volumes will be sourced from the two joint ventures between QatarEnergy and TotalEnergies that hold interests in Qatar’s North Field East and North Field South projects.

State-owned QatarEnergy has LNG deals in place with several countries including some 8m tons per year reserved for deliveries in China for 27 years and 2m tons to Germany over 15 years.

The latest two contracts penned by affiliates of TotalEnergies and QatarEnergy “demonstrate Qatar’s continued commitment to the European markets in general, and to the French market in particular, thus contributing to France’s energy security,” said Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, Qatar’s energy minister and CEO of QatarEnergy.

QatarEnergy, which changed its name from Qatar Petroleum in 2021, booked a huge number of shipyard slots in South Korea and China in 2020 to facilitate its future LNG exports. Its historic LNG shipbuilding program is the largest of its kind in the history of the LNG industry and currently stands at 77 with more expected to follow.