MENA states sharpen their gas focus
The GCC countries and other states in the region are looking to make greater domestic use of gas, both that produced at home and imported volumes
Oman, like Qatar and the UAE, is a significant gas exporter in its own right but is also looking for domestic industry to absorb increasing volumes. In the first seven months of 2025, according to government figures, almost two-thirds of the sultanate’s consumption was focused on industrial projects, totalling 16.37bcm. In contrast, gas in power generation stood at 8.76bcm. Production reached 32.88bcm in the same period, with a 10.8% year-on-year increase in associated gas, to 7.31bcm. Export expansion is on the Muscat authorities’ agenda as Oman LNG prepares to build a new processing train at its Qalhat facility with a capacity of 3.8mt/yr, taking Oman’s total production capacity by 2029, t
Also in this section
5 March 2026
Gas is a central pillar of Colombia’s energy system, but declining production poses a significant challenge, and LNG will be increasingly needed as a stopgap. A recent major offshore gas discovery offers hope, but policy improvements are also required, Camilo Morales, secretary general of Naturgas, the Colombian gas association, tells Petroleum Economist
4 March 2026
The continent’s inventories were already depleted before conflict erupted in the Middle East, causing prices to spike ahead of the crucial summer refilling season
4 March 2026
The US president has repeatedly promised to lower gasoline prices, but this ambition conflicts with his parallel aim to increase drilling and could be upended by his war against Iran
4 March 2026
With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed following US-Israel strikes and Iran’s retaliatory escalation, Fujairah has become the region’s critical pressure release valve—and is now under serious threat






