The Italian energy engineering group Saipem has been awarded an offshore engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract by QatarEnergy LNG for the combined COMP3A & COMP3B of the North Field production sustainability offshore compression programme in a US$4bn deal. The contract encompasses the engineering, procurement, fabrication and installation of six platforms, as well as approximately 100 km of corrosion resistance alloy rigid subsea pipelines, 100 km of subsea composite cables, 150 km of fiber optic cables and several other subsea facilities. The contract aims to sustain the production of the North Field offshore natural gas reservoir, located offshore the Northeastern coast of Qatar.  

Qatar Energy aims to double its LNG production capacity in the next few years. Most of the increase will come from expansion projects in Qatar, which should raise domestic LNG production capacity from the current 77 Mt/year to 142 Mt/year, namely the 32 Mt/year North Field East, the 16 Mt/year North Field South project, and the 16 Mt/year North Field West project. In 2023, QatarEnergy signed several 27-year supply and purchase agreements for LNG supply from the North Field (China, Sinopec 3 Mt/year and CNPC 4Mt/year; Italy, Eni 1Mt/year; France, TotalEnergies 3.5Mt/year; the UK and The Netherlands, Shell 3.5 Mt/year).