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  Gulf LNG sector enters a new prolific phase

  24 October 2025

  

   

  Liquefied natural gas (LNG) has been produced in the GCC since the 1970s. However, it is only since the start of this decade that regional producers have begun committing tens of billions of dollars to significantly ramp up output, driven by soaring global demand for the super-chilled fuel.

  The GCC is projected to add at least 80 million tonnes a year (t/y) of LNG capacity by 2030, placing it firmly among the world’s top three producing regions. 

  Qatar leads the Gulf’s push for LNG dominance as the region’s largest – and one of its earliest – LNG producers.

  State enterprise QatarEnergy has been producing LNG from the giant North Field offshore gas reserve in the Gulf waters, which it shares with Iran, since the 1980s. QatarEnergy currently produces 77.5 million t/y of LNG from 15 processing trains, all located in a sprawling complex in Ras Laffan Industrial City.

  Top spot

  QatarEnergy is on course to nearly double its LNG production to 142 million t/y by the end of the decade through its $40bn North Field LNG expansion programme.

  The energy giant is understood to have spent nearly $30bn on the first two phases of its North Field expansion – North Field East and North Field South – which will raise LNG production capacity from 77.5 million t/y to 126 million t/y by 2028. Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) works on both projects are progressing.

  QatarEnergy awarded the main EPC contracts for the North Field East project in 2021. The project aims to boost LNG output to 110 million t/y by 2025. The $13bn EPC package – covering the engineering, procurement, construction and installation of four LNG trains, each with a capacity of 8 million t/y – was awarded in February 2021 to a consortium of Japan’s Chiyoda Corporation and France’s Technip Energies.

  In May 2023, QatarEnergy awarded the $10bn main EPC contract for the North Field South project to a consortium of Technip Energies and Lebanon-based Consolidated Contractors Company. 

  The contract includes two large LNG trains, each with a capacity of 7.8 million t/y.

  Once fully operational, the first two phases of the North Field expansion will add 48 million t/y of supply to the global LNG market.

  In February 2024, QatarEnergy announced the third phase of its North Field expansion – North Field West. The project will add 16 million t/y of LNG capacity through two processing trains of 8 million t/y each, following the model of earlier phases. It will source feedstock from the western zone of the offshore North Field reserve.

  Progress on the North Field West project has, however, been slow, and it has remained in the pre-front-end engineering and design (pre-feed) phase since its announcement.

  QatarEnergy is reportedly exploring options to fast-track it to the EPC stage.

  The first two phases of the North Field expansion will add 48 million t/y to the global LNG market

  Oman progress

  Oman has recently made significant progress in the global race to expand LNG production and exports. The Omani government made headlines in July last year, when it announced that majority state-owned Oman LNG would build a fourth train at its Qalhat LNG production complex in Sur.

  The new LNG train will have an output capacity of 3.8 million t/y, increasing Oman LNG’s total production capacity to 15.2 million t/y when it is commissioned in 2029.

  Oman LNG recently made key progress on its project to add a fourth processing train at the Sur LNG complex. The majority state-owned company has shortlisted a consortium of Chiyoda and South Korea’s Samsung C&T, Japanese contractor JGC Corporation and another consortium of Italian contractor Saipem and South Korea-based Daewoo Engineering & Construction to participate in the main tender for EPC works.

  Technical and commercial bids are due in February and March 2026, respectively.

  The EPC tender process began less than a year after Oman LNG awarded the feed contract to US-based consultancy KBR.

  Separately, France’s TotalEnergies is studying a potential expansion of its Marsa LNG bunkering and export terminal in Oman. The move is significant considering that the first phase of the project is currently under construction in the sultanate’s northern industrial city of Sohar, and will have an output capacity of 1 million t/y.

  TotalEnergies purportedly began an initial study on a potential second phase of the Marsa LNG facility earlier this year. The French energy major may consider doubling the output capacity of the LNG complex, although the plan is yet to be confirmed, according to sources.

  Earlier in the year, TotalEnergies appointed Technip Energies – already the main EPC contractor on the under- construction Marsa LNG terminal – as a consultant to perform concept and feasibility studies on the proposed second expansion phase.

  With Oman LNG advancing its fourth train and TotalEnergies mulling a potential doubling of LNG production in Oman, the sultanate is positioning itself as a key global LNG player by 2030.

  

  UAE plans

  Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) has historically been one of the GCC’s smaller LNG producers. Its subsidiary, Adnoc Gas, operates three large gas processing trains on Das Island. 

  The Das Island terminal has a liquefaction and export capacity of about 6 million t/y. The first two trains, commissioned in the 1970s, provide a combined 2.9 million t/y, while the third, added in the mid-1990s, contributes 3.2 million t/y.

  Adnoc Gas will significantly expand its LNG capacity with a new greenfield terminal in Ruwais, set to come online in 2028.  The terminal will add 9.6 million t/y of LNG capacity via two 4.8 million t/y trains.

  Adnoc awarded the $5.5bn EPC contract in June 2024 to a consortium of Technip Energies, JGC Corporation, and NMDC Energy, coinciding with its final investment decision.

  Along with the main processing trains, the Ruwais LNG complex will also feature process units, storage tanks and an export jetty for loading cargoes and LNG bunkering, as well as utilities, flare handling systems and associated buildings. The facility will ship LNG mainly to key Asian markets, such as Pakistan, India, China, South Korea and Japan. 

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  Indrajit Sen
• 
  October 2025: Data drives regional projects

  24 October 2025

  Click here to download the PDF

  Includes: Commodity tracker | Construction risk | Brent Spot Price | Construction output

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  MEED’s November 2025 report on the UAE includes:

  > COMMENT: Investment shapes UAE growth story
  > GOVERNMENT: Public spending ties the UAE closer together
  > ECONOMY: UAE growth expansion beats expectations
  > BANKING: Stability is the watchword for UAE lenders
  > OIL & GAS: Adnoc strives to build long-term upstream potential
  > PETROCHEMICALS: Taziz fulfils Abu Dhabi’s chemical ambitions at pace
  > POWER: UAE power sector hits record $8.9bn in contracts
  > WATER: Tunnel projects set pace for UAE water sector
  > CONSTRUCTION: UAE construction faces delivery pressures
  > TRANSPORT: $70bn infrastructure schemes underpin UAE economic expansion

  To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here

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  MEED Editorial
• 
  Sobha announces new project launches in the UAE

  23 October 2025

  Dubai-based private real estate developer Sobha Realty has launched two new projects in the UAE. 

  The developer announced the launch of Sobha AquaCrest, its second residential development within the Downtown Umm Al-Quwain (UAQ) masterplan in the northern emirate of UAQ.

  The development comprises five residential towers, offering a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and duplexes.

  The project is slated for completion in 2029.

  Sobha is also planning to build a 450-metre-tall residential tower called Sobha SkyParks on Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed Road.

  The tower will have 109 floors and will be the tallest development in Sobha Realty’s portfolio.

  The development will offer more than 684 residential units.

  Speaking exclusively with MEED, Ravi Menon, chairman of Sobha Group, outlined plans for delivering a project of this scale.

  “While it is indeed our tallest creation to date, we bring strong engineering experience to the table, with nearly 50 high-rise buildings in Dubai already completed or under development,” Menon said.

  The developer said it will leverage its experienced in-house team of engineers, designers and technical experts who have delivered some of Dubai’s most iconic high-rise projects, including ‘The S’, a 60-storey tower on Sheikh Zayed Road, along with several other towers over 75 storeys currently under construction in Sobha Hartland 2.

  “Sobha SkyParks represents a natural progression in our journey of demonstrating our in-house capabilities,” Menon added.

  Sobha will rely on its ‘Backward Integration’ model, which gives it complete control over design, engineering, delivery and post-delivery phases.

  

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  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Oman issues tender for mineral site exploration

  23 October 2025

  Oman’s Ministry of Energy & Minerals (MEM) has  for mineral exploration drilling services at a site in the South Al-Sharqiyah Governorate.

  The activities to be performed at the Khor Grama site involve drilling, dividing core samples into three parts, and then supplying and storing them in designated core boxes.

  The MEM will host a site visit for bidders on 2 November and has set the bid submission deadline for 27 November.

  Prior to this tender, the MEM launched a new mining concession round in the sultanate in early September, offering four blocks to investors.

  Local and international mining firms have until 31 March next year to submit their applications for the four concession areas, the MEM announced on its Taqa platform.

  ALSO READ: Oman secures over $500m from award of three mining blocks

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  Indrajit Sen
• 
  Investment shapes UAE growth story

  23 October 2025

  Commentary
  John Bambridge
  Analysis editor

  The UAE is once again demonstrating that strategic investment remains the cornerstone of its national progress. Across the federation, elevated infrastructure spending aimed at economic diversification is knitting the emirates closer together, while reaffirming the country’s long-term growth trajectory.

  At the heart of this transformation is the UAE’s transport infrastructure spending, with a record $15.5bn in project awards in 2024 alone underscoring the country’s confidence in its future. From the delivery of high-speed rail to the upgrade of its existing highways, the UAE is prioritising internal transport and logistics as the key enabler of a sustainable, integrated economy.

  Adding to this wave of infrastructure development, investment in data centres and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure has emerged as the next frontier of its growth strategy. These investments signal the UAE’s ambition to become a regional powerhouse in AI-linked technology trends. This digital backbone will complement the UAE’s physical infrastructure by assuming centrality in driving the next generation of economic growth.

  The UAE’s ambitious infrastructure spending confidence is echoed in the nation’s economic performance, which continues to surpass expectations and is now projected to reach 4.8% GDP growth in 2025. Non-oil growth in sectors from manufacturing and logistics to tourism and technology is driving this expansion and reframing the UAE’s post-oil diversification strategy as no longer an aspiration, but a measurable success. By fostering innovation, emerging sectors and investor-friendly policies, the UAE is sustaining steady growth in a volatile global economy.

  In the energy sphere, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) continues to invest in upstream capacity that will ensure the country’s hydrocarbons receipts even amid transition towards renewables and industrial diversification. In the water sector, Dubai’s $22bn Strategic Sewerage Tunnels scheme is meanwhile set to both safeguard against future flooding events and underpin the city’s ongoing expansion.

  There are a few signs of strain, including in the construction sector, which has had to absorb successive record years of contract awards in 2023 and 2024. This has led to delivery pressures that could test supply chains and workforce capacity. The overheating of property prices as the market awaits the new units has meanwhile raised red flags over the potential for future correction.

  Yet such considerations do little to dim the UAE’s overarching narrative of foundational investment ensuring far-sighted prosperity. As the country invests in the systems that will sustain its future, it is not building mere infrastructure, but a path for confidence, opportunity and a durable legacy.

  

   

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  MEED’s November 2025 report on the UAE includes:

  > GOVERNMENT: Public spending ties the UAE closer together
  > ECONOMY: UAE growth expansion beats expectations
  > BANKING: Stability is the watchword for UAE lenders
  > OIL & GAS: Adnoc strives to build long-term upstream potential
  > PETROCHEMICALS: Taziz fulfils Abu Dhabi’s chemical ambitions at pace
  > POWER: UAE power sector hits record $8.9bn in contracts
  > WATER: Tunnel projects set pace for UAE water sector
  > CONSTRUCTION: UAE construction faces delivery pressures
  > TRANSPORT: $70bn infrastructure schemes underpin UAE economic expansion

  To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here

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  John Bambridge