Qatar raises carbon capture ambitions, touting green credentials

Qatar Petroleum will build facilities capable of capturing and storing more than 7 million tons per year of carbon dioxide in the tiny peninsular nation by 2030, the company said in a statement.

The world’s biggest liquefied natural gas producer is increasingly touting its environmental credentials. LNG is less polluting than oil and coal but suppliers are still facing pressure to reduce emissions as nations seek to meet strict climate targets.

Energy Minister Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi previously announced plans for a 2 million ton per year facility in 2019.

In November, QP signed the world’s first long-term LNG deal that details pollution. Each cargo shipped to the buyer in Singapore will detail how much carbon was emitted in its production.

In addition to carbon capture projects, QP plans to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases it emits from its LNG plants by 25 per cent and upstream operations by 75 per cent by 2030, according to the statement.

It also intends to reduce the amount of gas it burns off in its operations, known as flaring, by at least 75 per cent by 2030 and reduce methane leaking to 0.2 per cent by 2025.