- The energy industry plays a major role in Qatar’s economy. Qatar’s earnings from its hydrocarbon sector accounted for 83% of total government revenues in 2023, according to the International Monetary Fund. However, hydrocarbon export revenues declined from $115 billion in 2022 to $85 billion in 2023 because of lower oil and natural gas prices1, and some analysts expect this trend continued into 2024 because of lower hydrocarbon prices.2 Qatar’s National Vision 2030 aims to shift the country’s economy away from oil and natural gas. The Third National Development Strategy sets specific targets to achieve that policy goal by 2030, such as reaching average annual economic growth of 4% and diversifying the economic base to bolster Qatar’s non-energy sectors and knowledge-based industries.3
- One of OPEC’s longest-standing members, Qatar left the organization in January 2019 to shift resources and investment from oil production to natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure projects.4 Qatar expects to nearly double its LNG export capacity and increase the supply of petroleum liquids by 2030.
- Qatar was the world’s sixth-largest dry natural gas producer and the third-largest natural gas exporter in 2024.5 Qatar’s high natural gas output yields significant volumes of valuable petroleum liquid byproducts, such as lease condensates and hydrocarbon gas liquids (HGLs). Qatar is also at the forefront of gas-to-liquids (GTL) production, and is home to the world’s largest GTL facility.6
- Qatar’s economy reached a peak annual consumption of 2.4 quadrillion British thermal units (quads) of primary energy in 2023, up from 2.1 quads in 2022. Qatar is a major hub for international air travel and a key exporter of oil, natural gas, petrochemicals, and fertilizer.7 Natural gas and oil accounted for virtually all of Qatar’s total primary energy consumption, with renewable energy accounting for less than 1% of the total (Table 1 and Figure 1).8
Petroleum and Other Liquids
- Qatar’s total petroleum and other liquids production, which includes lease condensates and HGLs, rose from 1.7 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2019 to 1.9 million b/d in 2024 (Figure 2). Because Qatar’s oil fields are all mature, crude oil production declined from its peak of 852,000 b/d in 2008 to around 600,000 b/d in 2022 before rising to 615,000 b/d.9 Oil production declined because of natural decline rates and low oil demand following the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent oil recovery projects at Qatar’s mature Al-Shaheen field slightly raised production in 2023 and 2024.10 In addition to crude oil, which makes up 33% of its total liquids production, Qatar produces a significant amount of condensates from natural gas fields (38% of liquids supply) and HGLs that are removed from raw natural gas supply (20%). The remainder of its liquids supply is from the direct conversion of natural gas-to-oil products at its gas-to-liquids (GTL) plants and from refining gain (7%).
- Because decline rates at Qatar’s crude oil fields are high, QatarEnergy is using enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in redevelopment projects to sustain production capacity by slowing the rate of decline.11 The Al-Shaheen field, Qatar’s largest crude oil field, is undergoing a third expansion that QatarEnergy expects will raise production by an additional 100,000 b/d by 2027.12 A second redevelopment project at the Bul Hanine field is also underway and could add 60,000 b/d by 2028 to offset production declines (Table 2).13 Other EOR projects are ongoing at the onshore Dukhan oil field and the offshore Idd-El Shargi field (Figure 3).14
- We expect noncrude oil liquids production to increase in the next few years. The North Field natural gas expansion projects are slated to come online in 2026, and by 2030 they will add at least 380,000 b/d of condensate and about 300,000 b/d of ethane and other HGLs production (Table 3).15
- After hitting a COVID-19-induced low of less than 240,000 b/d in 2021, Qatar’s oil consumption reached about 270,000 b/d in 202416 due to construction of several major industrial projects and a growing use of transportation fuels such as gasoline and jet fuel.17
- Qatar uses noncrude oil liquid fuels, mostly ethane, as fuel at its domestic petrochemical plants. It has three ethane crackers (facilities that can process ethane into ethylene and other chemicals) in operation. A large ethane cracker is also under construction at Ras Laffan, which will almost double ethylene processing capacity by the end of 2026.18 This new facility will receive ethane from the North Field natural gas expansion projects.
- In 2025, Qatar had the capacity to process 80,000 b/d of crude oil and 363,000 b/d of condensates in its two oil refineries (Table 4). After QatarEnergy completed an upgrade to the Mesaieed refinery in 2020, all of Qatar’s refineries were able to produce low-sulfur diesel.19 Currently, no additional expansions are planned.
- In addition to its refineries, Qatar has the world’s largest capacity of GTL facilities, which directly convert natural gas to petroleum products.20 Its two GTL facilities can convert natural gas to 174,000 b/d of petroleum products and 120,000 b/d of hydrocarbon gas liquids such as ethane and propane.21
Figure 3. Map of Qatar’s major oil and natural gas fields (September 2025)
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration; National Energy Technology Laboratory, Global Oil and Gas Infrastructure Features Database; and World Bank
Table 2. Qatar’s crude oil projects, 2025
| Project name |
Crude oil production capacity (thousand b/d) |
Start date |
Notes |
| Al Shaheen Phase 3 Development (Ruya Development) |
100 |
2027 |
Several EOR development phases intended to bring field capacity back to 300,000 b/d.22 |
| Bul Hanine Field Redevelopment Phase 2 |
60 |
2028 |
Redevelopment intended to sustain output for 25 years from the new wells.23 |
| Total |
160 |
|
|
Table 3. Qatar’s noncrude oil liquids projects, 2025
| Project name |
Condensate production capacity (thousand b/d) |
LPG production capacity (thousand b/d) |
Ethane production capacity (thousand b/d) |
Announced start date |
| QatarGas North Field East Expansion Project |
260 |
128 |
76 |
Mid-202624 |
| QatarGas North Field South Expansion Project |
122 |
61 |
34 |
202725 |
| Total |
412 |
206 |
144 |
|
Table 4. Qatar’s oil refining capacity, 2025
| Refinery |
Owners |
Capacity
(thousand barrels per day [b/d]) |
Notes |
| Crude oil and condensate refineries |
| Umm Said / Mesaieed |
QatarEnergy26 |
137 |
80,000 b/d crude oil distillation unit processing crude oil from the Dukhan oil field and 57,000 b/d condensate splitter processing condensates from the North Field. |
| Laffan Refinery |
QatarEnergy 72%; TotalEnergies 10%; ExxonMobil 10%; Cosmo Oil 5.5%; and Mitsui 2.5%27 |
306 |
Condensate splitter processing condensates from the North Field; QatarEnergy merged Laffan Refinery 1 and Laffan Refinery 2 into one company in February 2023. |
| Total |
|
443 |
|
| Gas-to-liquids (GTL) refineries |
| Oryx GTL plant |
QatarEnergy 51%, Sasol 49%28 |
34 |
|
| Pearl GTL plant |
Shell29 |
140 |
Also produces 120,000 b/d of HGLs |
| Total |
|
174 |
|
Natural Gas
- Qatar’s vast natural gas reserves are primarily in the giant offshore North Gas Field (also known as South Pars on the Iranian side of the Persian Gulf). QatarEnergy claims that North Field’s recoverable natural gas reserves are 900 trillion cubic feet (Tcf), which makes it the largest non-associated gas field in the world.30
- Qatar’s natural gas production far exceeds its domestic demand, and over the past two decades, it became an important global LNG exporter (see energy trade section). Although Qatar’s natural gas production grew 15% per year between 2004 and 2014, output growth slowed considerably to an annual average of less than 1% growth after 2014 because many existing field wells reached maturity by that time and no major new projects came online until the Barzan natural gas plant in 2022 (Figure 4).31
- Qatar’s long-term goal is to sustain current natural gas production levels from the southern part of the North Field to maintain the high utilization rates of existing LNG export terminals. The North Field Production Sustainability project has three phases that involve bolstering the natural gas pressure and installing new offshore platforms and compression facilities. QatarEnergy expects to complete the project by 2032.32
- In addition, three large natural gas production and liquefaction projects are under development and slated to come online starting in 2026 (Table 5). The North Field East, North Field South, and North Field West are part of the North Field expansion development that may offset some of the declines from mature fields and raise Qatar’s natural gas production. Output from these projects will supply three new LNG export terminals, which have a combined capacity of 3.1 trillion cubic feet per year (Tcf/y) (Table 5). As part of the government’s plans to reduce the North Field project’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, Qatar plans to install a carbon capture and storage system on the North Field East and North Field South projects that will capture up to 3.2 million metric tons of CO2 per year.33 Overall, QatarEnergy pledged to secure 11 million tons of CO2 emissions per year through carbon capture and storage technology, mostly from LNG export facilities, by 2035.34
- Qatar’s dry natural gas consumption increased from 1.5 Tcf in 2022 to 1.7 Tcf in 2024 (Figure 5)35 due to increased natural gas usage in domestic power plants, water desalination plants, and the industrial sector, including petrochemicals. Several infrastructure projects—such as new LNG terminals, an ammonia plant, and a petrochemical facility—will likely raise natural gas demand during the next few years, and new solar generation is expected to offset some natural gas use in the electric power sector.36
Table 5. Qatar’s planned liquefaction terminals
| Project name |
Owners |
Nameplate capacity (billion cubic feet per year) |
Target start year |
| Projects under development |
| North Field East Expansion Project, Trains 1–437 |
QatarEnergy 75%; Exxon-
Mobil 6.3%; TotalEnergies 6.3%; Shell 6.3%; Eni 3.1%; ConocoPhillips 3.1% |
1,536 |
Mid-2026 |
| North Field South Expansion Project, Trains 1–238 |
QatarEnergy 75%;
TotalEnergies 9.4%; Shell 9.4%; ConocoPhillips 6.3% |
768 |
2028 |
| North Field West Expansion Project39 |
QatarEnergy |
768 |
2030 |
| Total |
|
3,072 |
|
Electricity
- Qatar’s electric power generation capacity was 11.4 gigawatts (GW) in 2023, an increase of almost 30% since 2013. However, the country’s net electricity generation rose at a faster pace, more than 60%, in the same time period, as the capacity factor or utilization level of new generation rose (Figure 5).40 In 2023, Qatar generated 56 terawatthours (TWh) of net electricity, virtually all from natural gas.41 High population growth, industrial and petrochemical growth, new water desalination projects, hotter summer temperatures, and highly subsidized electricity prices raised electricity consumption over the past decade.42
- Natural gas dominates Qatar’s electricity generation mix and will likely remain the most used fuel source. A consortium of Asian companies are constructing a high-efficiency 2.4-GW natural gas-fired power plant, Facility E, at Ras Abu Fontas near Doha to replace an older, less efficient plant. Qatar expects full capacity of Facility E to come online by 2029 and to supply electricity to a new adjacent desalination plant.43
- At the same time, the Qatari government plans to increase utility-scale renewable energy capacity, primarily solar power, to 4 GW by 2030 to diversify the country’s fuel sources, to raise the share of renewable energy to 18% of electricity production, and to reduce CO2 emissions.44 Qatar installed its first utility-scale solar power project in 2022.45 Two more large-scale solar power projects with a total capacity of 875 megawatts (MW) came online in April 2025,46 and Qatar plans to add another 2 GW of solar capacity by 2029 (Table 6). As more solar power enters operation in the next few years, it will likely displace some of natural gas’s share of power generation.
Table 6. Major solar projects in Qatar, 2025
| Project name |
Operator or project investor |
Capacity (megawatts) |
Start date |
Notes |
| Al Kharsaah Phase 1 |
QatarEnergy Renewable Solutions (60%), Marubeni Corp. (20.4%), and TotalEnergies (19.6%) |
400 |
June 202247 |
Kahramaa, the state-owned electric and utility provider of Qatar, holds a 25-year power purchase agreement. |
| Al Kharsaah Phase 2 |
(same as Phase 1) |
400 |
October 202248 |
|
| Ras Laffan |
QatarEnergy |
458 |
April 202549 |
Serves the Ras Laffan LNG facility. |
| Mesaieed |
QatarEnergy |
417 |
April 202550 |
Serves the Mesaieed industrial city. |
| Dukhan solar project |
QatarEnergy |
2,000 |
202951 |
|
| Total |
|
3,675 |
|
|
Energy Trade
Petroleum and other liquids
- Qatar does not import any crude oil or condensates and only occasionally imports petroleum products because the country’s oil production and refining sectors more than meet domestic demand.
- Qatar shipped most of its crude oil and condensates exports to Asia and smaller amounts to the United Arab Emirates (Figure 7).52 Qatar is one of the world’s key exporters of lease condensates, particularly to Asian markets that have significant condensate splitter capacity.53 Crude oil and condensate exports have remained around 700,000 b/d since 2021, down from around 800,000 million b/d in 2019 (Figure 6).54 Oil exports have slowed as Qatar faces competition from other oil exporting countries to markets in Asia.
- Qatar’s exports of petroleum products were an estimated 805,000 b/d in 2024—largely flat since 2018—most of which went to Asia. Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) accounted for close to half of total petroleum product exports, and naphtha made up nearly one-third of the petroleum product exports.55 Qatar has an abundance of lighter-grade liquid fuels that are from natural gas fields and liquid fuels that are produced in condensate splitters. Because most of Qatar’s domestic demand is in middle distillates—gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel—most of its LPG and naphtha are exported (Figures 8 and 9).56
Natural gas
- Qatar was the third-largest natural gas exporter57 (by pipeline and LNG combined) and the second-largest LNG exporter58 in the world in 2024, according to data from the Energy Institute (Figure 10). Qatar accounted for nearly 20% of global LNG exports.
- Based on preliminary data, we estimate that Qatar exported 4.4 Tcf of natural gas in 2024, of which nearly 0.8 Tcf was transported through the Dolphin Pipeline59 to the United Arab Emirates and Oman, with the remaining 3.6 Tcf shipped as LNG, mostly to markets in Asia and Europe (Figures 11 and 12).60 LNG exports will likely increase as new liquefaction terminals go into operation in 2026.
- Europe imported more LNG from Qatar in 2022 than in 2021 to replace pipeline natural gas imports from Russia. Europe’s LNG imports from Qatar fell again between 2022 and 2024 as the continent’s natural gas demand declined and the United States accounted for a higher share of Europe’s LNG imports.61 In addition, shipping disruptions around the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea in 2024 prompted Qatar to divert many cargoes away from Europe to markets in Asia (Figure 13).62
- QatarEnergy is seeking long-term buyers for contracts linked to its new LNG export projects. Since 2022, Qatar has signed several natural gas supply agreements with Asian offtakers and several international oil companies for its planned terminals. Europe is slated to import some of the contracted volume, but most is destined for Asia.63
- Qatar had the world’s third-largest LNG exporting capacity behind the United States and Australia as of the end of 2024.64 QatarEnergy LNG (formerly QatarGas)65 operates 14 export trains with a total nameplate capacity of 3.7 Tcf/y. Qatar’s capacity will nearly double to 6.8 Tcf/y after additional LNG trains linked to the North Field expansion projects enter commercial service by 2030.66
- Although Qatar faces competition from other countries developing new LNG export projects, its low breakeven cost for production and ability to serve both Asian and European markets are likely to continue to drive LNG exports.67
Electricity
- As a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council Interconnection Authority (GCCIA), which interconnects the electricity grids of its six member countries in the region,68 Qatar trades small amounts of electricity with its neighbors. The transmission line connecting Qatar’s grid to the main GCCIA line has a capacity of 1,200 megawatts (MW).69 To enable further regional electricity trade, the GCCIA plans to expand interconnection capacity with Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates and to build direct interconnection to Oman’s and Iraq’s grids.70
Endnotes