DOHA  State-owned QatarEnergy will boost its production of urea to more than 12.4 million tonnes annually, from six million tonnes currently, its chief executive officer (CEO) said in a press conference on Sunday, without giving a timeframe.

Saad Al-Kaabi, also Qatar's minister of state for energy affairs, said the construction of four new production lines for urea, a key ingredient in fertilisers, would boost output by 106%. He said the first production line would begin before 2030.

"When we looked at the market for urea in the future, with the growth of humanity today, with 1.5 [billion] to two billion people that will be joining us in the next 20-30 years, the urea requirement for food production will be exponentially increasing," Saad said.

He also said construction on a project to expand gas production from the North Field was on schedule.

The massive expansion is set to boost QatarEnergy's overall liquefied natural gas (LNG) production by 85% over current levels. North Field is part of the world's largest natural gas field that Qatar shares with Iran, which calls it South Pars.

Kaabi also announced construction of a third new solar power station in Qatar's eastern Dukhan region, to more than double Qatar's overall solar energy production to 4,000 Megawatts by 2030.

  - Reuters