DOHA: Qatar’s natural gas consumption has risen sharply in the past few years. Its domestic gas consumption grew by 80 percent in the last five years, which is the highest in the GCC region. The rise in gas consumption is driven by increasing demand for electricity and water as electricity and water desalinisation sectors account for most of the natural gas consumption in Qatar.
Gas consumption in Qatar stood at 24.9 billion cubic meters (bcm) in 2009 which jumped to 44.8bcm in 2014, according to BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2015 report.
Kuwait registered a growth of 69 percent in domestic gas consumption while gas consumption in Saudi Arabia grew by 38 percent during the same period. Gas consumption in the United Arab Emirates grew by 17 percent while consumption for other Middle East countries was 15 percent in the last five years.
Qatar is a major player in global natural gas market as it is the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG), and has witnessed a rapid expansion of LNG activities. Qatar ranks third in the world in terms of natural gas reserves and it holds about 13.1 percent of the world’s total proven gas reserves.
Almost two-third of its exports go to Asia, with Japan and South Korea particularly important markets, and 30 percent to Europe, according to the Energy Information Administration.
Growing population and increasing economic activities is pushing up demand for gas consumption in Qatar. The population has surged from 593,693 in 2000 to 2.29 million in August 2015. With economic activity and the population growing at rapid rates, demand for power and water has also grown exponentially.
Figures from Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation (Kahramaa) show that electricity generated grew by over a third between 2008 and 2012 alone, from 21,616 GWh to 34,788 GWh. Maximum demand also nearly doubled over the same period, from 3,990 MW to 6,255MW.
Per capita levels of electricity and water consumption is also high, with electricity usage per person at 43 KWh/day in September 2014 and water usage at 595 litres per day. In water, the rate of expansion was similar, with production up from 312m cu metres (mcm) to 437 mcm, while the number of customers went from 167,540 to 241,204, translating to 9.3 percent average annual growth. The consumption of gas in Qatar is likely to increase going ahead as various power and water projects are planned.
The demand for gas for domestic consumption is also increasing across the region. Gas consumption in Kuwait was around 12.4 bcm in 2009 which rose to 21 bcm in 2014 while Saudi Arabia’s domestic gas consumption increased from 78.5bcm in 2009 to 108.2bcm in 2014. Gas consumption in the UAE increased to 59.1bcm in 2009 to 69.3bcm in 2014. Gas consumption for other Middle East countries was 38.9bcm in 2009 which grew to 44.9bcm in 2014.
