Qatar has discovered a small offshore field containing about 70.7bn cubic metres of natural gas, marking the countrys first gas find since 1971
According to Mohammed al-Sada, Qatar's energy minister, the discovery was made at the 4-North offshore block near the North Field by a consortium that included Germany's Wintershall and Japan's Mitsui.
Qatar's North Field is the world's largest non-associated gas field, containing nearly 25 trillion cubic metres, and the new find represents just 0.28 per cent of the country's proven reserves.
Al-Sada said, "Although this amount is relatively small compared to the North Field, it signifies our commitment to continuing our exploration activities. We currently have six active exploration blocks and we are intensifying our exploration efforts."
The minister added that they were looking at options including the possibility of using the gas at one of the existing facilities, which would make the project highly profitable.
According to the latest BP statistical review, Qatar's proved gas reserves stood at 12 per cent of global gas reserves at the end of 2011.
