Exxon confirms that it is in talks with state-owned Qatar General Petroleum Corporation concerning the application of new technology to convert natural gas to petroleum products.
Exxon believes that technology developed in a successful 200 bbl/d (32 m3/d) natural gas refinery project in Texas would work in Qatar, where a proposed $1 billion plant would be able produce between 50,000 bbl/d (7,900 m3/d) and 100,000 bbl/d (16,000 m3/d) of middle distillate products.
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Under the proposal, Qatar's 270×1012 cu ft (7,600 km3) North field would supply between 0.5×109 cu ft/d (14,000,000 m3/d) and 1×109 cu ft/d (28,000,000 m3/d) of gas for use as feedstock. In the past, technological barriers and high costs have precluded the development of natural gas refineries.