en.Wedoany.com Reported - McDermott International CEO Michael McKelvy said on Tuesday that the company never stopped work on QatarEnergy's North Field East expansion project, despite operational constraints due to the war in Iran.
McDermott is responsible for installing offshore infrastructure to transport natural gas from Qatar's North Field to the liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant under construction at Ras Laffan Industrial City. "Even during the war, we never stopped project work. There were some restrictions, but the work did not stop," McKelvy told Reuters on the sidelines of the Houston Energy Projects Conference (EPC). He expects the company to deliver its portion of the project on schedule once conditions stabilize. "Our goal has always been to deliver projects on time and on budget, and we expect to do so this time as well," McKelvy said.
The North Field East (NFE) expansion is the first phase of QatarEnergy's strategy to boost LNG output, expected to increase the country's export capacity by approximately 32 million tons per year, further solidifying its position as one of the world's largest LNG exporters. McDermott's scope focuses on offshore facilities, including platforms, subsea pipelines, and related infrastructure used to feed gas to new LNG production trains. The liquefaction plant itself is being built by a consortium led by Technip Energies TE.PA, which is responsible for engineering, procurement, and construction of onshore facilities.
Robert Scott, Managing Director for the Americas at Technip Energies, said on the sidelines of the conference that the pace of the expansion project's development may depend on how QatarEnergy balances ongoing construction with the need to repair infrastructure damaged in the conflict. "The delivery speed of the expansion plant will depend on whether the company prioritizes new projects at Ras Laffan over repairing damaged facilities," Scott said. He added that broader logistical constraints related to regional tensions could also impact the timeline, particularly shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz—a critical chokepoint for global energy trade. "Ultimately, it depends on how quickly the Strait reopens," Scott said.
The North Field expansion is a core component of QatarEnergy's plan to increase LNG production to meet growing global demand, especially from Asia and Europe, as current energy trade flows shift.
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