The Qatari Foreign Ministry has denied reports about the revival of a pipeline project that would transport natural gas from Qatar to Europe via Syria and Turkey, calling the claims “speculation,” the Iran Press news agency reported.
“We have all seen the speculation in the media about this gas pipeline. It is nothing but media speculation,” Qatari Foreign Ministry Spokesman Majed bin Mohammed al-Ansari said when asked by Russian state-run news agency TASS about the prospects of building a pipeline to Syria and Turkey to supply natural gas to Europe.
Following the fall of Syria’s 61-year-long Ba’ath regime, discussions about reviving the Qatar-Turkey Natural Gas Pipeline, which was shelved in 2009, have resurfaced.
Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar was among those who put forward the possibility of the revival of the project in a statement last month.
Bayraktar said realization of the pipeline could be possible “if Syria achieves its [territorial] integrity and stability.”
The $10 billion pipeline project, proposed in 2009, would have transported gas from Qatar’s South Pars/North Dome field to Europe through Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria and Turkish distribution hubs.
Then-Syrian President Bashar al-Assad rejected the proposal, prioritizing Russia’s position as Europe’s major gas supplier.
According to al-Ansari, Doha is currently focused on preserving stability in Syria and “meeting the needs of the Syrian people.”
“We in Qatar are determined to support the Syrian people in terms of humanitarian and technical assistance, as is the case with Damascus International Airport, and also discuss all kinds of technical assistance [to rebuild] infrastructure. On the economic level, as far as gas supplies are concerned, we cannot say anything on this issue,” added al-Ansari, who is also an adviser to the prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.
Experts’ skepticism confirmed
Al-Ansari’s statements came in confirmation of the comments of some Turkish energy experts who discussed the possibility of the realization of the Turkey-Qatar pipeline project during a program on Habertürk earlier this week and voiced their doubts about its feasibility.
Oil and gas analyst Sohbet Karbuz described the prospects of the Qatar-Turkey gas pipeline project as unfeasible on economic, technical and political grounds.
“The pipeline project is redundant given Qatar’s ongoing LNG [liquefied natural gas] expansion,” Karbuz said, adding that Qatar’s export capacity of LNG will increase by 85 percent when the expansion takes place. He said that Qatar has yet to secure buyers for more than half of its expanded capacity for LNG, which makes a competing gas pipeline project impractical.
Qatar, one of the world’s top LNG exporters, plans an 85 percent expansion in LNG output from its North Field’s current 77 million metric tons per year (mtpa) to 142 mtpa by 2030, from previously expected 126 mtpa.
Karbuz said strict European energy regulations and the lack of long-term agreements also undermine the project’s feasibility.
“Qatar should focus on maximizing its LNG exports,” he said. “It’s a more efficient and flexible option than building a risky pipeline.”
Energy analyst Ali Arif Aktürk echoed similar concerns about the Qatar-Turkey pipeline project, citing significant logistical and economic challenges.
“Qatar’s existing LNG infrastructure makes more sense than building a pipeline through contested territories,” he said.
Mehmet Öğütçü, chairman of the London Energy Club, gave a broader view to focus on the strategic implications of the pipeline as he cited the need for proper balance between supply and market demand, mainly because Europe’s need for natural gas falls in favor of renewable energy sources.
He said regional alternatives, like eastern Mediterranean gas, would be more practical and an immediate solution to Europe’s needs.