Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi serves as Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs and as President and Chief Executive Officer of QatarEnergy, the state-owned enterprise responsible for all phases of Qatar’s hydrocarbon industry. He is widely regarded as the principal architect of Qatar’s liquefied natural gas expansion strategy and the driving force behind the country’s ambition to extend its dominance as the world’s leading LNG supplier through the 2030s and beyond.
Career Background
Al-Kaabi joined Qatar Petroleum (now QatarEnergy) in 1988 after earning a degree in petroleum engineering. He spent three decades within the organisation, rising through technical and senior management positions across exploration, production, and LNG operations. His deep operational knowledge of the North Field, the world’s largest non-associated natural gas field shared with Iran, informed his strategic vision for its expansion.
He was appointed Minister of State for Energy Affairs in November 2018, a role that was created specifically for him and that consolidated political authority over energy policy within the QatarEnergy leadership. He concurrently serves as chairman of the boards of Qatargas, Industries Qatar, and several other QatarEnergy subsidiaries and joint ventures.
North Field Expansion (NFE) and North Field South (NFS)
The most consequential initiative under Al-Kaabi’s leadership is the expansion of Qatar’s LNG production capacity from approximately 77 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) to 142 Mtpa by 2030. This expansion is being executed through two mega-projects: the North Field Expansion (NFE), which will add four new LNG mega-trains, and the North Field South (NFS), which will add two additional trains.
The NFE project reached its final investment decision in February 2021, with an estimated capital expenditure exceeding USD 28 billion, making it the largest LNG project in history at the time of sanction. The NFS project followed with a final investment decision in 2022. Together, these projects represent a near-doubling of Qatar’s LNG output and a decisive statement of confidence in the long-term global demand for natural gas, particularly in Asia.
Al-Kaabi structured the NFE and NFS projects with international oil company partnerships, awarding equity stakes to TotalEnergies, Shell, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Eni, and Sinopec. This partnership model secures technical collaboration, risk sharing, and long-term offtake commitments while maintaining QatarEnergy’s majority control.
International Upstream Strategy
Under Al-Kaabi’s direction, QatarEnergy has pursued an aggressive international upstream expansion, departing from the historically Qatar-focused portfolio. The company has acquired exploration and production interests in more than 30 countries, including significant positions in Brazil, Guyana, Suriname, Namibia, South Africa, Mexico, and Canada.
Notable transactions include a stake in ExxonMobil’s Golden Pass LNG export facility in Texas, equity participation in the Stabroek block offshore Guyana, and exploration licences across Africa’s Atlantic Margin. This diversification strategy is designed to build a global portfolio of hydrocarbon assets that complements Qatar’s domestic gas reserves and positions QatarEnergy as an integrated international energy company, not merely a national oil company.
OPEC Withdrawal and Strategic Positioning
In December 2018, Al-Kaabi announced Qatar’s withdrawal from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), effective January 2019. Qatar had been a member since 1961. The withdrawal was framed as a strategic decision to focus on gas rather than oil, reflecting Qatar’s identity as a gas-dominant producer. However, the move was also interpreted in the context of the 2017 blockade and Qatar’s desire for greater strategic autonomy from Saudi-led multilateral structures.
Qatar remains a member of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), which is headquartered in Doha, and continues to participate in international energy governance through bilateral agreements and institutional partnerships.
Petrochemical and Downstream Expansion
Al-Kaabi has overseen QatarEnergy’s downstream diversification, including the expansion of petrochemical output through joint ventures such as Qapco, Q-Chem, and RLOC at Ras Laffan Industrial City. QatarEnergy’s partnership with Chevron Phillips Chemical on the Ras Laffan Petrochemicals complex reflects the strategy of capturing greater value from Qatar’s gas feedstock through higher-margin chemical products.
Energy Transition Positioning
While Qatar’s core strategy remains centred on natural gas as a transition fuel, Al-Kaabi has initiated investments in carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) and solar energy. QatarEnergy’s Al Kharsaah solar power plant, an 800-megawatt facility developed with TotalEnergies and Marubeni, became operational in 2024 and represents Qatar’s first utility-scale renewable energy project.
Al-Kaabi has positioned natural gas as complementary to the energy transition, arguing that LNG displaces coal in power generation and reduces overall emissions intensity. This framing aligns Qatar’s commercial interests with climate policy discourse while resisting pressure for rapid decarbonisation of the upstream sector.