訊 據彭博社10月12日消息稱，據阿拉伯石油投資公司(Apicorp）稱，盡管冠狀病毒大流行抑制了天然氣需求，但中東和北非地區的天然氣項目投資仍將增加。
這家多邊貸款機構周一在一份聲明中說，2020年至2024年，該地區計劃或正在開發的天然氣項目將需要大約2110億美元的投資。在先前的投資展望中，Apicorp估計，2019年至2023年期間的投資總額將達到1850億美元。
總部位于沙特阿拉伯的Apicorp表示，卡塔爾是液化天然氣最大的出口國，其計劃投資將占到220億美元。沙特阿拉伯與另外一個國家將是最活躍的，到2024年，兩國計劃和承諾的投資將達到近900億美元。
中東國家正在籌劃新的天然氣項目，同時削減與石油相關的投資，盡管疫情已經重創了這兩種化石燃料的價格。部分原因是各國政府正在推廣使用天然氣發電，而不是使用污染更嚴重的原油發電。
Apicorp的首席經濟學家萊拉·貝納利（Leila Benali）在彭博電視臺上說，在未來兩到三年內，爭取液化天然氣買家的斗爭將變得“更加激烈”，如果全球液化天然氣的價格保持低位，一些生產商可能會選擇在家中消耗更多的天然氣。
根據Apicorp的研究，國有企業和實體在該地區天然氣項目的投資中占比高達92%。
曹海斌 摘譯自 彭博社
原文如下：
Natural gas investments to climb, despite present demand weakness
Investment in natural gas projects across the Middle East and North Africa will rise, even as the coronavirus pandemic damps demand for the fuel, according to Arab Petroleum Investments Corp.
Gas projects planned or under development in the region will require around $211 billion in investment between 2020 and 2024, the multilateral lender said Monday in a statement. In its previous investment outlook, Apicorp estimated that spending would total $185 billion between 2019 and 2023.
Expansion of output in Qatar, the biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas, will account for $22 billion of planned investment, Saudi Arabia-based Apicorp said. Saudi Arabia and the other country are set to see the most activity, with almost $90 billion of planned and committed investment between them by 2024.
Middle Eastern states are lining up new gas projects while cutting oil-related investments, though the pandemic has battered prices for both fossil fuels. This is partly because governments are promoting the use of gas to produce electricity instead of crude, a more polluting alternative.
The battle to secure LNG buyers will become “fiercer” over the next two or three years, and some producers may opt to consume more gas at home if global prices for LNG remain low, Apicorp’s Chief Economist, Leila Benali, said on Bloomberg TV.
State-run companies and entities account for as much as 92% of investments in the region’s gas projects, according to Apicorp research.
