First LNG Train of Qatar's North Field East Expansion Set to Start in November

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 7, the latest startup schedule for the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) train of QatarEnergy's North Field East (NFE) expansion project emerged. Two people familiar with the project plans said the train is expected to be ready for startup and operation in November 2026, with LNG production planned to begin in the first quarter of 2027. QatarEnergy has not yet officially confirmed this specific timeline. Previously, company CEO Saad Al-Kaabi estimated in September that the first train would begin production in the first half of 2027.

The North Field East expansion project is located in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar, and is the first phase of the North Field LNG expansion plan. The project plans to build four large liquefaction trains, each with an annual capacity of 8 million tons, adding a total of 32 million tons per year. According to QatarEnergy's original plan, once all trains in this phase are put into production, the country's LNG production capacity will increase from 77 million tons per year to approximately 110 million tons per year. The final investment decision for the project was made in February 2021, with an initial approved investment of US$28.75 billion.

The onshore works are undertaken by a consortium of France's Technip Energies and Japan's Chiyoda, with the contract scope covering LNG trains, utilities and supporting facilities, as well as carbon dioxide capture and storage facilities. The new plant is designed to receive approximately 6 billion standard cubic feet per day of feed gas from the eastern block of the North Field. Technip Energies confirmed in its 2025 annual results announcement that fuel gas was introduced into the process area of Train 8 in the fourth quarter of 2025, and the relevant systems have entered commissioning preparation.

The offshore gas development and transportation works are handled by McDermott, involving wellhead platform topsides, subsea gas pipelines, cables and onshore connection facilities. Among these, the East expansion project is equipped with 8 wellhead platform topsides; the offshore works of the North Field East and North Field South expansion phases together include approximately 480 kilometers of pipelines and approximately 225 kilometers of 33-kilovolt subsea cables. The offshore facilities are responsible for transporting natural gas produced from the field to the onshore liquefaction plant at Ras Laffan.

The project startup timeline is also affected by damage to Qatar's existing LNG facilities and maritime transportation conditions. In March this year, an Iranian attack on facilities in Ras Laffan Industrial City damaged two existing LNG trains and a gas-to-liquids (GTL) plant, affecting approximately 17% of Qatar's LNG production capacity. Repairs to the damaged LNG trains may take up to three years, and the GTL facility is expected to be repaired by the first quarter of 2027. QatarEnergy previously noted that disrupted transportation through the Strait of Hormuz has affected the delivery of some equipment and natural gas exports.

According to the latest startup schedule, the first new LNG train will next introduce feed gas and gradually advance process system operations and production ramp-up. Calypso Commodities LNG expert Mehdy Touil expects that it will take several weeks from feed gas introduction to the start of LNG production, while sustained production increases also depend on whether unrestricted shipping can resume through the Strait of Hormuz. QatarEnergy has not yet published a new unified timetable for the startup progress of the remaining trains.