In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Your Excellency, Mr. Silvio Berlusconi, Prime Minister of the Republic of Italy,
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
First of all, I would like to thank His Excellency, Prime Minister of the Republic of Italy, for accepting our invitation to this ceremony.
It gives me great pleasure to meet with you today in the lovely city of Venice to open and inaugurate the Adriatic LNG Terminal, which is really a leading and pioneering energy project.
This project is a symbol of the friendship between our countries and peoples and an example of the technical and economic cooperation in energy between institutions and companies.
The first of its kind in the world, this project represents a quantum leap in LNG terminal establishment in terms of strictly meeting the operational safety requirements and environment protection. It consists of a huge platform 40 km offshore of the historic city of Venice. It was manufactured in Spain and then dragged in sea for nearly 3,000 km to be anchored in its current location, 30m deep under the Adriatic Sea.
Venice is a water city composed of many islands such as Murano and Burano. And as a result of our cooperation, we have added a new one to the area; namely, the Clean Energy Island.
The project aims at receiving, storing, de-liquefying and pumping an annual amount of six million tons of LNG through a sea pipeline to the Italian gas network. This project will help the country meet 10 percent of its gas needs. It represents a new source of clean gas for Italy and contributes to enhancing energy sources and ensuring their sustainability.
Mr. Prime Minister,
Dear guests,
After two decades of tireless efforts and work on developing and producing our huge gas reserves, Qatar is now a leading country in the gas industry and the world’s largest LNG exporter and transporter. We are fully aware of the huge responsibilities that we should shoulder towards the international gas markets, which requires commitment to the supply of gas in a sustained and secure manner. This entails huge investments not only in the production process but also in all the phases of LNG industry, including infrastructure in consumption centers. This project is doing just that, along with the South Hook Project in the United Kingdom, which has been opened recently. We also hope to open the Golden Pass LNG Terminal soon, which is under-construction in the USA.
The other dimension of our commitment to and responsibility for supplying LNG to international markets, especially those of the industrialized countries, is environment. Compared to other sources, LNG is a highly efficient source of clean primary energy. It is the first choice now for advanced power generation stations, given its importance in reducing carbon dioxide emissions and preserving the environment.
Last year, the world economy witnessed sharp recession and slow growth, accompanied by declining consumption and prices of power. This, undoubtedly, had a negative impact on all countries and on their growth rates. Today, however, there are signs of improvement of the global economy, which is a cause to believe that the worst may be over. I would like to assure you here that none of our gas projects under construction has been affected whether through the phases of construction, production, building of huge tankers or the infrastructure projects in consumption markets. We are proud of that and believe that this is part and parcel of our responsibility for supplying LNG to all parts of the world based on reasonable, commercial foundations for producers and consumers alike.
On this historic occasion, I would like to extend my sincerest thanks and appreciations to the Italian Government and people for their support and sincere efforts to implement this vital project as a symbol of our friendship, cooperation and the common interests of our countries and peoples. I would like also to thank Qatar Petroleum, Exxon Mobil, Edison, RasGas and the management and workers of Adriatic LNG, the project’s owner, for their key role in this success.
Thank you and best wishes.
May Allah’s peace, mercy and blessings be upon you.