Qatar signs first LNG sale pacts with China

Beijing: Qatar signed two landmark deals yesterday to sell liquefied natural gas to Chinese oil giants PetroChina and CNOOC, its first such sales to the world's second-biggest energy consumer.

Qatargas will sell two million tonnes a year of LNG to CNOOC, currently China's sole LNG importer, starting from 2009, according to a Heads of Agreement the two signed in Beijing.

Qatargas, together with partner Royal Dutch Shell, agreed to sell three million tonnes of LNG a year to PetroChina from 2011 for 25 years, formalising a deal that the Chinese firm announced several weeks ago.

Abdullah Bin Hamad Al Attiyah, Qatar's deputy prime minister and energy minister, said, "I am proud that Qatar will be able to supply cleaner energy to contribute to the Chinese success story and China will be able to contribute to Qatari success as a customer for our natural resources."