Under the patronage of His Excellency Mr. Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, the Minister of State for Energy Affairs, the President & CEO of Qatar Petroleum, South Hook LNG Terminal celebrated its 10th anniversary in a special event held in London.
The event was attended by His Excellency Mr. Yousef Ali Al-Khater, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Qatar to the Court of St James, and by senior officials from the United Kingdom and senior executives from Qatar Petroleum, Qatargas, ExxonMobil and Total.
Located on the Pembrokeshire coast near Milford Haven in Wales, the South Hook LNG Terminal was commissioned in 2009 and has the capacity to provide up to 20% of the United Kingdom’s needs of natural gas.
Speaking at the event, His Excellency Mr. Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi hailed the historic relations between Qatar and the United Kingdom and stressed the importance of the UK market to Qatar’s LNG. He said, “The United Kingdom is a very important market for Qatari LNG, as it offers a friendly and attractive business environment, and a stable regulatory framework. This is driven by the long and historic relations that tie our two countries and people, on many levels and across all walks of life.”
His Excellency Mr. Al-Kaabi also stressed the importance of South Hook as an important tool for local development. “As Qatar Petroleum and its Partners made significant investments to develop the import and regasification facilities in South Hook, the terminal itself became a provider of stable local jobs, and a supporter of local communities, businesses and services,” he said.
Minister Al-Kaabi expressed pride in being part of this landmark terminal saying “South Hook Terminal is a strategic investment that supports the security of energy supplies to one of the world’s most dynamic and vibrant economies. It brings warmth to homes and energy to businesses, and drives industries and innovation.” His Excellency thanked Qatar Petroleum’s partners, ExxonMobil and Total as well as the Welsh authorities and senior officials in the United Kingdom for their continuous and unparalleled support. He also thanked Qatargas for their safe and reliable supply of LNG and Nakilat for managing the shipping.
The South Hook LNG terminal became commercially operational in March 2009 with the arrival of its commissioning cargo on board the QFlex class LNG carrier “Tembek”. In May of the same year, the terminal was officially inaugurated, in the presence of His Highness the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Amir of the State of Qatar at the time, and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.
