Qatar to supply Germany with natural gas for first time

Qatar will supply Germany with natural gas for the next 15 years, as Russia's gas supplies have gone dry due to the war in Ukraine.

The agreement between Qatar Energy, the country's state-owned oil company, and Germany's ConocoPhillips will give Europe access to oil from Qatar's North Field expansion project for the first time.

The deal is currently under construction, according to officials from both countries, but Qatar will send up to 2 million tons of gas annually to Germans via the Brunsbuettel Terminal, which is currently under construction, according to the Associated Press.

ConocoPhillips holds a small stake in the North Field project, which Qatar shares with Iran in the Persian Gulf. Qatar signed a similar 27 year sales and purchase agreement with China's Sinopec earlier this month.

According to Qatar Energy CEO Saad Al Kaab, the agreements are the first ever long-term LNG supply agreement with Germany with a supply period of 15 years, thus contributing to Germany's long-term energy security.

Following Russia's February invasion of Ukrainian territory, Moscow cut key gas supply lines to European countries that sanctioned Russia and supported Ukraine via military aid.

Germany was thrown into a fueling inflation and energy crisis because more than half of its gas came from Russia at the time. The European state had to find new suppliers going into winter due to the shut down of Germany's gas supply in August.

The majority of Germany's gas supply comes from more European-friendly states such as Belgium, Norway and the Netherlands. Germany is building five liquefied natural gas terminals to prevent a short-term energy crunch.