This comes after New Delhi asked Doha to speed up the delivery of delayed LNG cargo.
Top liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter Qatar Energy, formerly Qatar Petroleum, has expressed its commitment to being a ‘trusted partner’ in supplying energy to India, saying it does not miss shipments it has obligations to deliver.
India, suffering from its worst power crisis in five years, has recently called on Doha to expedite the delivery of LNG cargo which it said was delayed. The country has been struggling due to a coal shortage amid growing demand for energy and an overall global energy crisis.
Reportedly, Qatargas has yet to transport 58 LNG cargoes to India after an infrastructure maintenance project at the Qatari supplier facility caused a delay in delivery this year.
India’s petroleum ministry also requested eight other cargoes that were halted last year at New Delhi’s request as Covid-19 induced lockdowns decreased demand for the super-cooled fuel.
Read also: ‘QatarEnergy’: Qatar Petroleum adopts new identity with name change
India’s biggest gas importer, Petronet LNG, previously signed a deal to purchase 7.5 million tonnes per year (mtpa) of LNG from the Gulf state under a long-term agreement expiring in 2028.
The Indian oil and gas company expressed interest in extending its long-term deal with Qatar beyond the expiring date.
However, due to power shortage, Indian energy plants reduced operation capacity by nearly 14 gigawatts GW.
The Gulf state is India’s largest LNG supplier, according to Natural Gas Intelligence.
Meanwhile, Qatargas has recently started building four new liquefied natural gas (LNG) mega-trains that will help lift its production capacity from 77 million tonnes per year to 110 million tonnes per year.
