Middle East gas contracts sealed to Japan and the Netherlands

The United Arab Emirates and Qatar have signed new agreements to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Japan and the Netherlands, respectively.

State oil giant Abu Dhabi National Oil Company’s gas unit, ADNOC Gas, has struck a multi-year deal worth between $500m and $700m with utility-backed JERA Global Markets, a joint venture between majority shareholder Japan’s JERA and France’s EDF Trading. ADNOC Gas had recently signed LNG sales agreements with several energy players, including PetroChina, Japan Petroleum Exploration (JAPEX), TotalEnergies, and India Oil Corporation (IOCL). The latest development with JERA brings the total value of LNG supply deals since ADNOC Gas’ listing in March this year to between $9.4bn and $12bn.

Meanwhile, another Middle Eastern LNG producer and one of the world’s top suppliers, QatarEnergy, penned a deal with Shell to sell liquified gas for 27 years to the Netherlands.

The Gulf nation’s second major contract in Europe this month will see LNG deliveries of up to 3.5m tons a year to Rotterdam’s Gate import terminal, starting in 2026.

The LNG volumes will be sourced from the two joint ventures between QatarEnergy and Shell that hold interests in Qatar’s North Field East (NFE) and North Field South (NFS) expansion projects.

As the region prepares for its second winter without Russian pipeline gas, European energy firms are racing to negotiate some of the region’s longest and largest LNG supply arrangements. TotalEnergies has obtained a similar supply agreement for France.

“These agreements reaffirm Qatar’s commitment to help meeting Europe’s energy demands and bolstering its energy security with a source known for its superior economic and environmental qualities,” said Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, Qatar’s energy minister and CEO of QatarEnergy.