Qatar, the world's largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, said on Monday it was "
unhappy
" with soaring gas prices on global energy markets, with the wealthy Gulf emirate ensuring that it is producing as much as possible to meet demand. .
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With limited supply, the price of natural gas has reached all-time highs due to strong demand as winter approaches, with European Union (EU) leaders remaining divided on the response to this crisis, as economies recover from the pandemic.
I am not happy that gas prices are high,
”Qatari Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi said during a press briefing in Doha.
“
It's something negative for the customer, and customer satisfaction is the most important thing for me,
” he said.
According to him, however, Qatar has reached its "
maximum
"
capacity
, producing some 77 million tonnes per year.
Divisions
“
We have never been below the maximum. We haven't gone down, we haven't gone up. We are constant, we produce what we can,
”insisted the manager. The Qatari minister nevertheless said he was "
worried
" about the winter in Europe, estimating that "
the stock is quite low there.
".
The surge in gas prices, combined with that of oil, which reached record levels, fueled fears of soaring inflation and an explosion in household energy bills.
EU leaders, meeting last week in Slovenia, displayed their divisions.
France and Spain called for in-depth reform while Germany and the Netherlands urged patience, arguing it was a temporary situation linked to supply limits.
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While Moscow is accused of not turning on the gas taps enough, Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied being behind the soaring prices, blaming Europe for the crisis because it has not concluded sufficiently long-term delivery contracts with his country.
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