Energy and Infrastructure

This chapter examines the changes in Qatar’s energy sector that began prior to the blockade, when the key decision to lift a moratorium on new gas exploration in the North Field was taken, and accelerated in December 2018 with the Qatari withdrawal from OPEC and its decision to prioritize the further expansion of its natural gas reserves. The chapter places energy within the context of the blockade, and analyzes why Qatari policymakers ringfenced the Dolphin pipeline to the UAE and Oman from the rupture in political and economic relations, a move that reinforced the post-blockade effort to portray Qatar as a reliable, rule-of-law partner and responsible member of the international community. The chapter ends with a section that explores how Qatari ‘energy diplomacy’ has evolved since 2017 as Qatar Petroleum entered into a plethora of joint ventures with international partners in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.