A postcard from Ras Laffan

With Qatargas nearing completion of its first 7.8m t/y LNG mega-train and another five under construction, Alex Forbes visited Ras Laffan Industrial City to see how construction is progressing

When ExxonMobil and Qatar Petroleum decided in July 2002 to build a two-train liquefied natural gas (LNG) project to supply 15.6m tonnes a year (t/y) to the UK, a new era dawned for what was previously seen as a specialist niche in the energy industry. Each of the 7.8m t/y production trains would be 50% larger than anything that had previously been conceived. They have become known as mega-trains. More than any other aspect of the industry, they symbolise LNG's move into the mainstream of natural gas. Over the ensuing three-and-a-half years, Qatar and its various international oil company partners – ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, Shell and Total – reached final investment decision on six mega-t