Fishermen across the water from the Golden Pass LNG facility
Qatar’s Golden Pass dilemma
Golden Pass’s startup offers QatarEnergy a timely boost but may also force a difficult choice between honouring disrupted contracts and capitalising on soaring spot LNG prices
Golden Pass—the joint LNG venture between state-owned QatarEnergy and ExxonMobil—announced first production from the first train of its 18mt/yr Texas export terminal on 30 March. The partnership said it expects the debut cargo to be dispatched in the second quarter of this year, with industry insiders telling Petroleum Economist that delivery could come as early as April. The milestone is welcome news for QatarEnergy, which has endured a devastating month after Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz disrupted its exports and Iranian strikes rendered around 17% of its existing liquefaction capacity in Qatar inoperable for what could be years. Yet the startup also presents a strategic dilemma
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