His Excellency Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, Minister of State for Energy Affairs and President and CEO of QatarEnergy, spoke at the opening session of LNG2026 in Doha. He participated in a panel discussion alongside executives from TotalEnergies, ExxonMobil, Shell, and ConocoPhillips.
Al-Kaabi stated that QatarEnergy is committed to natural gas as an energy source for the future. He said: “QatarEnergy, along with its partners represented on the panel, are building LNG for the future with the lowest carbon footprint you can have. Everywhere where you’ll see exploration blocks that are looking for oil or gas, you’ll find QatarEnergy working there.”
He also reaffirmed his position on oil’s long-term necessity: “oil will be needed for a very long time,” adding that some who previously supported reducing reliance on oil now recognize its continued importance. “People who, two years ago, have been part of the oil cancel culture, are now recognizing the need for oil and that it will not disappear in 2030 like they were saying.”
Al-Kaabi highlighted energy’s role in economic development: “People need to be prosperous, including about a billion people don’t have the basic electricity that we enjoy. We can’t deprive them from that growth.” He pointed out Asia as a main driver of LNG demand but also noted growing needs in the Middle East due to population increases and expanding power requirements.
Addressing environmental concerns within the industry, Al-Kaabi said: “We are doing our best to develop and adopt the best technologies to reduce emissions, including CO2 sequestration in order to deliver the most affordable energy to the market in the most environmentally responsible manner. It is important for policymakers to be realistic about what can and cannot be delivered. They need to listen to the people who understand the business.” He emphasized that practical solutions must balance economic realities with environmental goals.
The plenary session discussed trends shaping global liquefied natural gas demand and supply as well as challenges related to affordability, security of supply, reliability, and sustainability.
