QatarEnergy CEO calls for sustained investment in LNG and energy infrastructure

At the Qatar Economic Forum 2025, Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs and the President and CEO of QatarEnergy, delivered a direct call for continued investment in global energy infrastructure, emphasizing the importance of stable prices to ensure future production and long-term supply security.

Qatar’s energy minister and chief executive of QatarEnergy, Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi. (Image: QatarEnergy)

Speaking during a panel titled “Global Energy Supplies & Security,” Al-Kaabi warned that underinvestment in upstream and infrastructure projects could pose significant risks to global supply. “We need somewhere in the range of $70 to $80 [per barrel], in my view, to be able to sustain the current production and increase,” he said. “If you don’t have additional investment to sustain that needed energy, it is going to be damaging and will cause shortages in supply.”

He noted the critical role natural gas will play in meeting rising demand from emerging markets, citing demographic and electrification trends. “We are going to have 1.5 to 2 billion people on this earth in the next 20 to 30 years. And we have one billion people around the world today that don’t have basic electricity,” Al-Kaabi said. “So, the need for electricity and power is huge. We are not worried at all about having a supply glut.”

LNG trading growth and global supply expansion

Al-Kaabi reported that the company now trades approximately 10 million tonnes of LNG annually in physical markets. That volume is expected to grow substantially as QatarEnergy boosts its total production capacity to 160 million tonnes per year, including output from its U.S.-based assets.

Supporting this expansion is a massive buildout of QatarEnergy’s LNG shipping capacity. “We have 70 LNG ships in our fleet today, and we will be adding 128 ships in a few years,” he said. “So, all that will help our trading to thrive.”

Al-Kaabi credited the establishment of QatarEnergy Trading as a key milestone in the company’s global evolution, reflecting an ambition not only to produce LNG but also to play a central role in its global distribution and pricing.

Global partnerships and exploration strategy

QatarEnergy continues to aggressively pursue international opportunities through upstream exploration partnerships. “We are one of the world’s largest companies in terms of having rights to exploration blocks around the world,” Al-Kaabi said. “We have been successful in some regions, but this is a continuous drive to explore more, and we’re really participating in new exploration blocks around the world. I’m optimistic about the future, but it takes time.”

Among its growing list of partnerships is the Golden Pass LNG export project in Texas, a joint venture with ExxonMobil, as well as a major petrochemical investment in the U.S. Gulf Coast, the Golden Triangle Polymers plant, which will house the world’s largest ethane cracker.

“These projects are part of the long-term energy partnership between Qatar and the United States,” said Al-Kaabi, highlighting the alignment between QatarEnergy’s strategy and long-term demand forecasts for gas in Asia and Europe.

Asia remains critical LNG growth engine

Qatar’s leading role as an LNG supplier to Asia remains central to its growth strategy. Al-Kaabi reaffirmed QatarEnergy’s strong relationship with key buyers in the region. “We have a great relationship with China. We are the largest supplier to China, and they are our biggest buyer. They are discussing with us additional volumes, and so is India, as well many other countries,” he said.

This sustained demand from Asia supports QatarEnergy’s strategy to expand both liquefaction and shipping capacity. Al-Kaabi emphasized that growth in Asia, coupled with an expanding customer base in Europe and emerging markets, supports the case for ongoing investment in upstream gas, liquefaction, and transport.

No fear of LNG oversupply

Despite massive expansion plans underway in Qatar and from competing LNG suppliers, Al-Kaabi dismissed concerns about a future supply glut. “We are not worried at all about having a supply glut,” he said, pointing instead to the structural undersupply of electricity in many regions of the world.

With billions of people expected to join the global middle class and increased electrification across transportation, heating, and industry, QatarEnergy sees natural gas—and LNG in particular—as a cornerstone fuel for decades to come.

Held under the theme of global energy security, the Qatar Economic Forum provided a platform for policymakers and business leaders to discuss the shifting dynamics of international energy markets. Al-Kaabi’s remarks reflected Qatar’s continued bid to position itself as a reliable long-term supplier of LNG and an increasingly influential player in energy diplomacy and trade.