RasGas

RasGas was a Qatari liquefied natural gas company established to operate a major group of gas-processing, liquefaction, storage and export facilities at Ras Laffan Industrial City. Its operations were based on natural gas from Qatar’s North Field, one of the world’s largest natural-gas reservoirs, and included LNG production, domestic gas supply, helium production and associated infrastructure. The business grew out of the Ras Laffan LNG project, one of Qatar’s two original LNG developments. The project began production in 1999 through a venture involving Qatargas and ExxonMobil, with additional foreign participation later added to certain projects. RasGas Company Limited was established in 2001 as the operating company for production facilities located at Ras Laffan. During the following decade, the company expanded from its initial LNG facilities into a large-scale export platform serving long-term customers in Asia and other international markets. At its peak, RasGas operated seven LNG trains with aggregate capacity of approximately 36.3 million tonnes per year. The first two trains were associated with Ras Laffan LNG, while Trains 3, 4 and 5 formed the Ras Laffan II expansion and Trains 6 and 7 formed the Ras Laffan 3 development. Trains 6 and 7 were among the largest LNG trains in the world when they entered service, each contributing to the rapid expansion of Qatar’s LNG export capability. The company also signed long-term LNG sales agreements, including arrangements involving South Korea, India and other markets. RasGas was not limited to export LNG. Its Al Khaleej Gas projects supplied pipeline gas to Qatar’s domestic network, supporting electricity generation, industrial activity and other local demand. The company also operated Helium 1 and Helium 2 facilities. Together, those plants were described as producing about one-quarter of global helium output and helping make Qatar the world’s second-largest helium exporter after the United States. The company also participated in the Barzan Gas project, a major domestic gas development intended to increase supplies to Qatar’s growing local market. Financing for the project was completed in 2011, although implementation experienced delays associated with technical challenges. RasGas marked the loading of its 10,000th LNG vessel at Ras Laffan in 2016, illustrating the scale and maturity of its export operations. RasGas ceased to exist as a separate operating company when it was merged with Qatargas on 1 January 2018. The transaction followed an announcement in 2016 and consolidated Qatar’s LNG operations under the Qatargas organization. RasGas is therefore best understood as a historical brand and operating company within Qatar’s LNG-sector development rather than as an active standalone business.

RasGas developed from Qatar’s early LNG-industrialization program at Ras Laffan. The Ras Laffan LNG project was one of the two initial LNG projects created alongside the Ras Laffan Industrial Complex during the 1990s. Qatargas and ExxonMobil initiated the project, and other foreign investors subsequently became involved in related ventures. The project began production in 1999, establishing the operational foundation from which the RasGas business would grow. RasGas Company Limited was established in 2001 as a joint-stock company involving QatarEnergy and ExxonMobil. Its role was to operate LNG and related gas facilities based at Ras Laffan Industrial City. The company’s activities covered the extraction and processing of North Field gas, LNG liquefaction, storage and export, as well as associated gas products and infrastructure. Expansion continued throughout the 2000s. RasGas added LNG trains and developed long-term sales relationships with customers in South Korea, India and other markets. The operating model combined large-scale production with long-term offtake arrangements, allowing Qatar to build a durable position in the international LNG trade. By the end of the expansion period, the company operated seven LNG trains with total capacity of approximately 36.3 million tonnes per year. The original Ras Laffan facilities comprised Trains 1 and 2, with a combined capacity of about 6.6 million tonnes annually. Ras Laffan II comprised Trains 3, 4 and 5, each producing about 4.7 million tonnes per year. Trains 6 and 7 were developed through Ras Laffan 3. Train 6 entered service in October 2009 and was inaugurated on 27 October; Train 7 started production in February 2010. Together, these two trains produced approximately 15.6 million tonnes of LNG per year and were among the largest individual LNG trains in the world at the time. RasGas also expanded beyond LNG exports. Its Al Khaleej Gas projects, identified as AKG-1 and AKG-2, supplied pipeline gas to Qatar’s domestic network at an average rate of approximately 2.0 billion cubic feet per day. These facilities were intended to meet rising domestic demand from power generation, industry and other users. In 2011, RasGas completed financing for the Barzan Gas project, which was designed to add approximately 1.4 billion cubic feet per day of production capacity. Construction began in 2011, but the project’s schedule was subsequently pushed back, in part because of technical difficulties. Helium became another important element of the company’s portfolio. RasGas operated Helium 1 and Helium 2. Helium 1 was described as producing roughly 660 million cubic feet of liquid helium per year, while Helium 2 was characterized as the world’s largest helium-refining facility, with output of approximately 1.3 billion cubic feet per year. Together, the plants were reported to account for about 25 percent of global helium production and to make Qatar the second-largest helium exporter after the United States. The company faced a series of cyberattacks in 2013, in a period when several energy companies in the Gulf were targeted. RasGas also reached an operational milestone in 2016 by loading its 10,000th LNG vessel at Ras Laffan. That same year, the planned consolidation with Qatargas was announced. The merger was completed on 1 January 2018, bringing RasGas’s operations together with Qatargas and ending RasGas as a separate corporate entity. Its historical importance lies in its contribution to Qatar’s transformation into a leading LNG-exporting country and in the development of Ras Laffan as a major global gas hub.

• 2018

  Merged with Qatargas

  [1]RasGasen.wikipedia.org

  The merger with Qatargas took effect on 1 January, ending RasGas’s status as a separate company.

• 2016

  10,000th LNG vessel loaded

  [1]RasGasen.wikipedia.org

  RasGas recorded the loading of its 10,000th LNG vessel at Ras Laffan Industrial City.

• 2011

  Barzan Gas financing completed

  [1]RasGasen.wikipedia.org

  RasGas closed financing for the Barzan Gas project, intended to increase Qatar’s domestic gas supply.

• 2010

  Train 7 starts production

  [1]RasGasen.wikipedia.org

  LNG Train 7 began production in February, completing the major Ras Laffan 3 expansion.

• 2009

  Train 6 enters service

  [1]RasGasen.wikipedia.org

  LNG Train 6 came online in October and was inaugurated on 27 October.

• 2001

  RasGas Company Limited established

  [1]RasGasen.wikipedia.org

  RasGas was established as a joint-stock operating company involving QatarEnergy and ExxonMobil for facilities at Ras Laffan Industrial City.

• 1999

  Ras Laffan LNG project begins production

  [1]RasGasen.wikipedia.org

  The Ras Laffan LNG project, from which the RasGas business developed, started production in Qatar.

A large-scale Qatari LNG producer and integrated gas-processing operator focused on North Field resources, international LNG exports and domestic gas supply.

• LNG · 1999

  Liquefied natural gas

  RasGas’s principal product was LNG produced from North Field natural gas. The company operated seven LNG trains at Ras Laffan, with combined capacity reported at approximately 36.3 million tonnes per year. The LNG was stored and loaded for export through Ras Laffan’s port and sold under long-term and other international supply arrangements.

• Domestic gas supply

  Pipeline natural gas

  Through the Al Khaleej Gas projects, RasGas supplied processed natural gas into Qatar’s domestic pipeline network. AKG-1 and AKG-2 were designed to serve local demand, with reported average deliveries of around 2.0 billion cubic feet per day. The gas supported Qatar’s expanding power, industrial and other domestic requirements.

• Industrial gases

  Liquid helium

  RasGas operated the Helium 1 and Helium 2 plants at Ras Laffan. Helium 1 was reported to produce about 660 million cubic feet of liquid helium annually, while Helium 2 was described as the world’s largest helium-refining facility, producing about 1.3 billion cubic feet annually. Combined output was reported at roughly one-quarter of global helium production.

• 2016

  Announce consolidation with QatargasM&A

  Background

  Qatar sought to consolidate its major LNG operating businesses and simplify the structure of its gas industry.

  Action taken

  RasGas and Qatargas announced plans to merge their operations.

  Aftermath

  The merger was completed on 1 January 2018, and RasGas ceased to operate as a separate company.

  Source

• 2011

  Finance and develop the Barzan Gas projectStrategy

  Background

  Qatar’s domestic gas demand was increasing, creating a need for additional pipeline-gas capacity beyond the company’s export-oriented LNG operations.

  Action taken

  RasGas completed a reported $10.5 billion financing deal for Barzan Gas and began construction of the project’s two trains.

  Aftermath

  The project was intended to add approximately 1.4 billion cubic feet per day of production capacity, but its planned completion was delayed, including because of technical challenges.

  Project financing. $10.5 billion financing deal (2011)

  Source

1. 1RasGasen.wikipedia.org