Germany discussed energy cooperation with Qatar

Germany is to close its last nuclear power plants this year and plans to build its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal within two years. “We discussed bilateral cooperation particularly in energy and corporate investments,” Joerg Kukies, the German chancellery’s state secretary, stated, adding he talked to Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, who also heads the Qatar Investment Authority sovereign wealth fund. Qatar has said it could divert probably 10-15% of its LNG shipping volumes, as the core energy producer to counter dependence on Russia. It plans to raise LNG production capacity to 126 million tonnes a year by 2027 from 77 million tonnes at present.