Qatar Petroleum

Qatar Petroleum

Type	State-owned enterprise
Industry	Oil and gas
Founded	1974
Headquarters	Doha, Qatar
Key people	Mohammed Bin Saleh Al-Sada, Minister of Energy & Industry , Chairman Hamad Rashid Al-Mohannadi Managing Director - RasGas, Deputy Chairman
Products	Oil (fuels, lubricants) Natural gas (LNG) Petrochemicals
Revenue	US$ 51.6 billion (2011)
Profit	US$ 14.9 billion (2011)
Total assets	US$ 107.8 billion (2011)
Owner(s)	Government of Qatar
Subsidiaries	Gulf Helicopter Co. Qatar Petrochemical Co. Industries Qatar Q.S.C Qatar Terminal Co. Limited
Website	www.qp.com.qa

Qatar Petroleum (QP) is a state owned petroleum company in Qatar. The company operates all oil and gas activities in Qatar, including exploration, production, refining, transport, and storage. QP's Chairman & Managing Director Mohammed Bin Saleh Al-Sada, is also the head of the Ministry of Energy and Industry of Qatar. QP’s operations are therefore directly linked with state planning agencies, regulatory authorities, and policymaking bodies. Together, revenues from oil and natural gas amount to 60% of the country’s GDP. Currently it is the third largest oil company in the world by oil and gas reserves.^[1]

History[edit]

During World War I and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Qatar fell within the British sphere of influence and the first onshore oil concession in Qatar was awarded in 1935 to British Petroleum's predecessor, the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC). Because of its obligations under the Red Line Agreement, AIOC transferred the concession to an associate company of the Iraq Petroleum Company, Petroleum Development (Qatar) Ltd. (PDQ), which would operate the concession. PDQ was later renamed the Qatar Petroleum Company (QPC). In October 1938, Dukhan No. 1 was spudded and was yielding 5,000 barrels of oil per day by January 1940. However, World War II delayed development until 1947 and the first crude exports occurred in 1949. The first offshore concessions were granted in 1949 to two U.S. companies, the Superior Oil Company and the Central Mining & Investment Co. In 1952, the Shell Company-Qatar (SCQ) acquired exploration rights to most offshore territory. In 1960, the Idd Al-Shargi and Maydan Mahzam fields were discovered. The largest offshore field, Bul Hanine, was discovered in 1970 and came onstream in 1972. Qatar Petroleum was created in 1974 following the government's nationalization of the oil sector. In 1973, the state took a 25% stake in onshore concessions of QPC and offshore concessions of SCQ. Early in 1974, the state increased its share in both companies to 60%. In 1976, QP took full control of QPC's onshore concessions and SCQ's offshore activities the following year.

In 1991, Qatar Petroleum initiated an upgrade program for oil production facilities. The program included bringing the Diyab structure (Dukhan) online and enhanced oil recovery (EOR), particularly at the Dukhan field. QP expects to boost capacity at Dukhan from 335,000 bbl/d (53,300 m³/d) in 2006 to 350,000 bbl/d (56,000 m³/d) in 2008. QP is carrying out similar work at several smaller fields, including the offshore Bul Hanine and Maydam Mahzam. Prospects for new discoveries are limited. QP carried out much exploration activity during the early 1980s but exploration declined as the oil glut of the mid-1980s gathered pace. Since then, QP has encouraged foreign operators to apply for exploration licenses. Although the number of wells drilled grew significantly towards the end of the 1980s, there was little success. Most new E&P is done offshore by international oil companies, including ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Total. While substantial E&P is underway, there have not been any major oil discoveries in Qatar during the last decade. Most anticipated new oil production will come from Maersk Oil (Denmark), which operates the Al Shaheen field. Maersk reached an agreement with Qatar Petroleum in December 2005, under which the company intends to drill more than 160 production and water injection wells and establish three offshore platforms. The total oil production from Al Shaheen is planned to be gradually increased from 240,000 bbl/d (38,000 m³/d) at the beginning of 2006 to 525,000 bbl/d (83,500 m³/d) by the end of 2009.^[2] When completed, Qatar would have more than 1,100,000 bbl/d (170,000 m³/d) in crude production capacity.

Pipelines, exports and refineries[edit]

QP operates Qatar’s oil pipeline network, which transports supplies from oil fields to the country’s lone refinery and export terminals. QP operates an expansive offshore pipeline network that brings crude oil from offshore oil fields to Halul Island, where oil can be processed for export. Onshore, most oil is sent to Umm Said for refining or export. Qatar has three primary export terminals: Umm Said, Halul Island, and Ras Laffan. Qatar typically exports around 600,000 bbl/d (95,000 m³/d) of crude and about 20,000 bbl/d (3,200 m³/d) of refined petroleum products. Most exports go to Asia, with Japan as the single largest receiver (about 380,000 bbl/d (60,000 m³/d) of crude in 2006). In the international market, the major customers are Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC), Glencore, Bakri Trading, Vitol, Mitsui and ITOCHU.

Refining is carried out by the National Oil Distribution Company (NODCO), a subsidiary of QP established in 1968. Qatar's first refinery was built in Umm Said in 1953. A second refinery was completed in 1974. By the early 1980s, growth in local consumption was such that Qatar began importing refined products. In 1983, a 50,000 bbl/d (7,900 m³/d) refinery came online at Umm Said. Currently, Umm Said has a refining capacity of 137,000 bbl/d (21,800 m³/d). QP is also building another refinery, which will have the capacity to run 146,000 bbl/d (23,200 m³/d) of condensate. Marketing and commercial aspects for the export of the Refinery Products are entirely controlled by the Qatar Petroleum Marketing Directorate.^[3]

Dolphin Project[edit]

Qatar Petroleum is part of the Dolphin Gas Project, which connects the natural gas networks of Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar with the first cross-border natural gas pipeline in the Persian Gulf region. The project is being developed by Dolphin Energy, a consortium owned by Mubadala Development on behalf of the Abu Dhabi government (51%), Total (24.5%), and Occidental Petroleum (24.5%). The Dolphin Project made significant progress in 2006. Construction was completed on all the project’s upstream and downstream components by year-end except the gas processing plant located at Ras Laffan. A company spokesperson announced in March 2007 that it tested receiving and distribution facilities in the U.A.E., and expected to begin operations in June 2007. The 260-mile (420 km) long Dolphin Energy Pipeline currently sends 400 MMcfd of natural gas supplies from the North field to markets in the U.A.E and Oman.^[4]

Gas-to-liquids[edit]

GTL projects received significant attention in Qatar the last several years, and Qatar’s government originally set a target of developing 400,000 bbl/d (64,000 m³/d) of capacity by 2012. However, cancellations and delays substantially lowered this. In February 2007, ExxonMobil canceled its Palm GTL project, which was slated to produce 154,000 bbl/d (24,500 m³/d). The company will instead develop the Barzan Gas Project, scheduled to supply 1.5 Bcf/d by 2012. The Oryx GTL plant is a joint venture of QP and Sasol-Chevron GTL, and has a 34,000 bbl/d (5,400 m³/d) capacity. The plant was commissioned in June 2006, but technical problems prevented the consortium from loading the first export until April 2007. In February 2007, Royal Dutch Shell held a groundbreaking ceremony for its Pearl GTL Project. The Pearl plant will be 51%-owned by QP, though Shell will operate the project with a 49% stake. The facility is expected to use natural gas feedstock to produce 140,000 bbl/d (22,000 m³/d) of GTL products. The project will be developed in phases, with 70,000 bbl/d (11,000 m³/d) capacity expected by 2010 and a second phase expected in 2011. The Pearl project will be the first integrated GTL operation in the world, meaning it will have upstream production integrated with the onshore conversion plant.^[5]

Subsidiaries[edit]

Qatar Petrochemical Company[edit]

Qatar was the first Persian Gulf state to build its own petrochemical industry. The Qatar Petrochemical Company (QAPCO) was established in 197 as a joint venture between QP (84%) and CdF (Chimie de France) and began production of ethylene, low density polyethylene, and sulfur in 1981. In August 1990, QP's interest in QAPCO was reduced to 80%, with the remaining 20% split equally between Enimont (Italy), and Elf Aquitaine (France) through its Atochem subsidiary. The importance of reliable gas supplies was demonstrated in the early years of QAPCO, which were marred by shortages of ethane feedstock arising from fluctuations of associated gas production along with movements of oil pricec. QAPCO's facilities consist of an ethylene plant producing 525,000 metric tons per annum (MTPA), two low density polyethylene (LDPE) plants with 360,000 MTPA and a sulphur plant with 70,000 MTPA. Shareholders are now Industries Qatar (80%) and Total Petrochemicals (20%).

Qatar Fertiliser Company[edit]

The Qatar Fertiliser Company (QAFCO) was founded in 1969 as a joint venture between the Qatari government, Norsk Hydro Norway, Davy Power and Hambros Bank, to produce ammonia and urea. The company is now owned by Industries Qatar (75%) and Yara International (25%). QAFCO inaugurated its first plant in 1973 with a design daily capacity of 900 tons of ammonia and 1000 tons of urea. The QAFCO complex in Mesaieed City comprises four completely integrated trains; each train is made up of two units, one for production of ammonia and the other for urea, besides a urea formaldehyde unit. QAFCO total annual production capacity now is 2.0 MMT of ammonia and 2.8 MMT of urea, making QAFCO the world’s largest single site producer of urea.^[6] A new plant expansion is scheduled to be completed in early 2011 (QAFCO 5), using Snamprogetti and Haldor Topsoe design. The increase in ammonia production will be 4600 metric ton/day.

Qatar Chemical Company[edit]

The Qatar Chemical Company (Q-Chem) is a Qatari company owned by Qatar Petroleum (QP) and Chevron Phillips Chemical International Qatar Holdings LLC (CPCIQ). QP owns 51 percent of Q-Chem and CPCIQ owns 49 percent. The Q-Chem facility is a world-class integrated petrochemical plant capable of producing high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and medium-density polyethylene (MDPE), 1-hexene, and other products. Over US $1 billion was invested to engineer, construct, and commission the Q-Chem facility, which began operations in late 2002. The Q-Chem complex in Mesaieed Industrial City comprises an ethylene unit (capable of producing 500,000 metric tons per annum (mtpa)), a polyethylene facility (capable of 453,000 mtpa), and a 1-hexene unit (capable of 47,000 mtpa). Q-Chem assets also include a sulfur recovery and solidification unit, a bagging and storage warehouse, a nitrogen unit, a water treatment plant, seawater cooling system, dock facilities and various administrative buildings.

Other subsidiaries[edit]

• Qatar Vinyl Company (QVCb) - 25.5%; other shareholders are QAPCO, Hydro, Arkema)
• Qatar Liquefied Gas Company Ltd. (Qatargas; other shareholders are ExxonMobil, Total, Mitsui, Marubeni)
• RasGas Companies (70%; 30% is owned by ExxonMobil)
• Qatar Fuel Additives Company Ltd (QAFAC; other shareholders are OPIC Middle East Corporation, International Octane Limited and LCY Investments Corp)
• Qatar Petroleum International (QPI) (100% Owned)
• Qatalum - 50-50 joint venture between Qatar Petroleum and Norsk Hydro^[7]
• ASTAD - Project Management
• Fereej Real Estate Company QSC - Property investment, Facilities management and PM Services

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

• QAFCO Website
• QChem Website