 |
|
Courtesy of Qatar Petroleum
|
|
Qatar Petroleum processing
facilities.
|
Pearl diving and fishing were once the bread and
butter of the Qatari economy. Then, on May 17, 1935,
Sheikh Abdullah Bin Qassim Al-Thani and an Englishman
named Charles Clark Miles signed an agreement for
Qatari oil concessions. Shortly thereafter, Mr.
Mile’s company undertook a geological survey
that proved the availability of oil in Qatar. Today,
Qatar is one of the wealthiest countries in the
world, on a per capita basis, largely due to its
vast oil and gas reserves.
Qatar’s hydrocarbon industry is organized
under Qatar Petroleum (QP). Established in 1974
as a national state-owned corporation, QP is responsible
for all operations related to the oil and gas industry,
including exploration, drilling, production, refining,
transportation, marketing and sale of Qatari hydrocarbons.
One of the company’s main objectives is to
maximize the economic returns to the State from
the country’s physical resources and to contribute
to the social and economic development of Qatar
and its society.
In recent years, QP has worked towards its goal
to consolidate Qatar’s position as a leading
supplier of energy resources in the world. In terms
of natural gas production, two QP subsidiaries handle
this vast sector of Qatar’s hydrocarbon industry.
RasGas and Qatargas, have established a role for
the country as the liquefied natural gas (LNG) capital
of the world. While on the crude oil front, QP has
continued with its long-term exploration and development
strategy.
Favorable conditions in the international hydrocarbons
markets have enabled QP to increase its contribution
to the local economy, encourage international investment,
particularly in the petrochemical and manufacturing
industries, and enable a healthy program of diversification
initiatives. American firms that continue to invest
in Qatar’s hydrocarbon industry include, ConocoPhillips,
GE Oil and Gas, ExxonMobil and Occidental Petroleum.
QP produces oil from its own wells and those licensed
to international operators. As of 2004, Qatar’s
total production capacity was in the region of 800,000
barrels per day. QP itself operates three main fields,
which produce slightly more than half of the country’s
output.QP also licenses extraction by international
companies under production sharing agreements.
With only a tiny local market for petroleum products,
Qatar has only one refinery, located at the port
city of Mesaieed. A 1998 US $850 million expansion
boosted refining capacity from 60,000 to 137,000
barrels per day and allowed for the production of
high-value unleaded fuels.
QP’s expansion requires an increase in qualified
manpower. To that end, another objective of QP has
been to maximize the employment of capable Qatari
nationals and to develop their level of competence,
bringing them to international standards. This process,
known as Quality Qatarization, has been assigned
clear objectives which are diligently followed and
goals that are aggressively met.
Efforts in all QP departments and subsidiaries
have been directed towards boosting the participation
of Qataris in the development of the hydrocarbon
industry. This has resulted not only in providing
sustainable social development, but also in offering
additional opportunities for local, regional and
international partners.
|
Qatar
