Petronet’s unusual move underscores the desperation of buyers as supply disruptions from Peru to Russia and a voracious post-pandemic rebound in energy demand push spot prices to record highs.
Emails to officials at state-owned Qatar Energy, which is the majority shareholder of Qatargas, and Petronet weren’t immediately answered.
India will have to compete with some of the world’s biggest buyers of the power-generation fuel and their request risks being unsuccessful, according to traders. China National Offshore Oil Corp. signed a 15-year deal earlier this year with Qatar to purchase 3.5 million tons of LNG per annum starting from January.
“We have huge demand from all our customers and unfortunately we can’t cater for everyone,” he said last month.
Qatar is spending almost $29 billion to increase its output by around 50%, but the project will take six years to complete.
The Petronet deal will end around that time, possibly aiding a compromise, especially as India is one of the fastest-growing buyers and is seeking to increase the use of gas to lower carbon emissions.
“Regardless of the grounds behind Petronet’s claim to forgone cargoes back in 2015, Qatar Energy will seek a larger strategic prize for a concession,” said Felix Booth, head of LNG at energy-intelligence firm Vortexa Ltd. “Qatar Energy may offer a few cargoes in exchange for a sales and purchase agreement that goes beyond 2028. That’s a strategic prize for Qatar.”
— With assistance by Verity Ratcliffe
Source: Bloomberg