Qatar Petroleum, ExxonMobil sign letter of intent for GTL project

Petroleum News Alaska Staff

Qatar Petroleum and Exxon Mobil Corp. have signed a letter of intent to conduct a technical feasibility study for a world-scale gas-to-liquids plant in Qatar.

The letter of intent was signed June 15 by Qatar Minister of Energy and Industry and Chairman of Qatar Petroleum H.E. Abdulla bin Hamad Al-Attiyah and by Harry J. Longwell, ExxonMobil director and senior vice president.

ExxonMobil said the study will provide Qatar Petroleum with information on how use of ExxonMobil’s proprietary AGC-21 technology in a GTL plant will contribute to the optimum utilization of resources from the North Field. The study will also identify and determine potential synergy opportunities with other projects and infrastructure in Qatar.

The proposed GTL plant would convert gas from the North Field into high quality liquids products such as low sulfur diesel fuel, naphtha and lubricant basestocks for export to world markets.

Minister Al-Attiyah said the agreement supports Qatar’s diversification plans and is part of Qatar’s strategy to develop the country’s industrial base.

“It represents another important step in the development of the North Field and Qatar’s efforts to become a major supplier to regional and international markets,” Al-Attiyah said.

AGC-21 is a proprietary ExxonMobil technology for converting natural gas into high-quality transportation fuels, lubricant basestocks and petrochemical feedstocks.