Doha

- Participants in the Doha Forum stressed the difficulty of Europe immediately dispensing with Russian gas, in light of the old continent's dependence on nearly 40% of its energy sources on Russia, in addition to the high prices of US liquefied gas and the costs of transporting it to Europe.

During a session entitled “Transitioning Smoothly.. Meeting Energy Demand During the Transition to Green Alternatives,” which was held during the activities of the Doha Forum, the Ukrainian crisis and Russian gas supplies to Europe imposed themselves on the session, and the participants stressed that gas contracts are mostly long-term, so It is difficult to fully supply Europe's needs outside of those contracts.

At the beginning of the session, Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs Saad bin Sherida Al-Kaabi confirmed that his country cannot provide immediate assistance to Europe with regard to gas supplies, considering that no one can replace Russian supplies, and he also ruled out that the Ukraine crisis will fundamentally change the ways of paying the cost of oil. and gas in the long term.

Commenting on the Russian decision to change the payment system in the oil and gas field from the dollar to the Russian ruble, the Qatari minister expressed his belief that what is happening regarding the demand to change the payment process in the oil and gas field is a reaction to the war, and it is not possible to formulate a long-term plan in the financial sector because of Temporary events "I do not think that what is happening now will push towards changing the payment process in the field of oil and gas

. "

Al-Kaabi: Russian gas cannot be replaced overnight (Al-Jazeera)

Quantity increase

The Qatari minister stressed that it is not possible at the present time to replace Russian gas overnight, especially since supplies coming from Russia range between 30% and 40%, and that gas projects require many years to enter production.

He stressed that Qatar is working to pump more gas supplies to Europe through its stations located in France, Italy or the United Kingdom, noting that the quantities will remain small compared to what Europe needs.

He added that his country is working to increase gas quantities to Europe, whether by increasing the capacity of stations or by shipping additional quantities from Qatar, pointing out that the agreement to provide Europe with an additional 15 billion cubic meters from the United States and other countries needs cooperation between all parties to implement it.

He pointed out that Qatar is cooperating with the United States to send 70 million tons of gas to Europe by 2024 and 2025, based on the fact that Qatar has contracts with many countries to supply it with gas, and 85% of gas shipments go to Asia.

The Qatari minister considered that Europe needs 7 or 8 years to secure its energy needs away from Russian sources, "because it is not possible to replace Russian gas overnight."

He stressed that the rise in prices recorded in the global oil and gas market is primarily due to the imbalance between supply and demand, resulting from a lack of investment expenditures in the field, in addition to the war between Russia and Ukraine, adding that "this requires investment to make production stable and continuous."

The Qatari Minister of State for Energy Affairs said that Europe needs 7 or 8 years to secure its energy needs away from Russian sources

FREE ASSETS

As for the CEO of Total Energy, Patrick Boiani, confirmed his refusal to liquidate Total’s assets in Russia because it is owned by the shareholders of the company, and in the event that it is dispensed with, it will become free for Russian President Vladimir Putin, and said, “It is the responsibility of stakeholders abroad, should I give it to Free for Mr. Putin? Because that's what it means to leave today and give up my shares."

Boyani stressed his full commitment to the sanctions imposed on Russia after its war on Ukraine, saying that reducing oil prices needs long-term contracts, as Japan, Asia and other countries did, which is what prompts Europe now to unite to solve this crisis perfectly and provide energy alternatives away from Russia. .

Boyani added that "there is a discussion among European countries about continuing to rely on Russian gas or not, and there must be a clear answer, especially since Europe gets 40% to 45% of its gas needs from Russia, at a lower price compared to the liquefied gas that will be sent. from the United States of America.”

A part of the participants in the meeting to meet the demand for energy within the activities of the Doha Forum (Al Jazeera)

He expected that Europe would eventually resolve its decision to abolish dependence on Russian gas, but that would take a long time, and oil prices in Europe would increase in the event of Russia being dispensed with by 10 dollars, indicating that prices could then be reduced.

The CEO of Total Energy explained that building a carbon-neutral system needs more years, as it is not possible at the present time to stop investing in gas and oil, stressing the need to enhance investments in clean energy.

As for the CEO of the Norwegian Equinor, Anders Obidal, he confirmed that his company made the decision to leave Russia after the decision to war on Ukraine was issued, pointing out that "Norwegian charities provide assistance in this field completely" to Ukrainian refugees.

He stressed the need to reduce carbon emissions and increase reliance on renewable energy through various sources, stressing the need to work to secure Europe's gas needs through long-term plans.

CEO of Total Energy: Oil prices in Europe will increase by $10 in case of cutting off Russian gas

global pledge

Also on the sidelines of the Doha Forum, the State of Qatar signed the global pledge on methane, which seeks to reduce emissions by 30% by 2030.

Qatar and the United States announced today, Saturday, in a joint statement, that this ratification brings the number of countries to 111 committed to the initiative, which represents 70% of the global economy.

Qatar's accession to the global commitment on methane is a great boost to global efforts to urgently reduce methane emissions, and Qatar is considered a world leader in addressing methane emissions, as it has made model progress in reducing emissions intensity in the energy sector over the past decade.