QatarEnergy opens LNG2026 as global leaders gather to shape the future of energy

QatarEnergy kicked off the 21st International Conference & Exhibition on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG2026) in Qatar, the home of LNG. The four-day event brings together industry leaders, policymakers, and experts from over 80 countries to discuss market trends, innovation, and the future of global energy. Some of Tokyo’s largest LNG buyers, including Tokyo Gas Co., skipped the conference due to security concerns in the region, citing the escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran. At the conference, Saad Al-Kaabi, the QatarEnergy President/CEO and Minister of State for Energy Affairs, outlined QatarEnergy’s production targets, including an increase in LNG output from 77 to 120 million tonnes annually, with 104 million tonnes from the North Field. Al-Kaabi also outlined how growing electricity demand from AI and data centres, together with rising fuel use in Asia and European gas needs could turn an expected global liquefied natural gas supply glut into a shortage by 2030.