Business Reporter
HE the Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy and Industry, Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah has said there are no plans now to use gas-to-liquids (GTL), or green diesel, on a massive scale in the local market.
“No, we are not planning to take GTL on a massive commercial scale in Qatar now. It is expensive now. Also, it cannot be used alone. It needs blending,” he said.
Al-Attiyah said GTL projects in Qatar had always targeted the international market. “It is true we are using GTL on some vehicles in Qatar as part of popularising the fuel.
The fuel has definite advantages over others due to its pro-environment features,” he said.
On the Oryx GTL plant at Ras Laffan he said, “There were some technical issues there, but we addressed them. The first cargo left Ras Laffan a month ago. It has already reached the international market.”
The $1bn Oryx GTL is a joint venture between QP (51%) and Sasol (49%). The plant is the world’s first commercial GTL plant outside South Africa and is currently the world’s largest.
Oryx GTL will have a production capacity of 34,000barrels per day (bpd) of liquids.
This will comprise about 24,000bpd of diesel, also known as green diesel because of its ultra clean nature, 9,000bpd of naphtha and 1,000bpd of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). |
