Qatar Petroleum (QP) and Wintershall announced that they have made a gas discovery in exploration Block 4 North, offshore Qatar. Qatar Petroleum representing the Government of the State of Qatar and Wintershall entered into an Exploration and Production Sharing Agreement (EPSA) for Block 4 North in November 2008. Mitsui Gas Development Qatar joined in 2010 by acquiring 20% of the Contractor’s interest under the EPSA with Wintershall retaining 80% interest and operatorship. Block 4 North is an offshore block in the north of Qatar and is in direct proximity to the North Field at a water depth of around 70 meters.

Commenting on the occasion, His Excellency Dr. Mohammed Bin Saleh Al-Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry Chairman and Managing Director of Qatar Petroleum, said: "We have been progressing exploration activities in Block 4 North with our partners, for the past few years as part of our strong exploration drive, which is in line with His Highness the Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani’s vision to continue to prudently explore for and develop our natural resources and to increase Qatar’s hydrocarbon reserves. We are very pleased that we have found a new Gas discovery in Qatar.”

Rainer Seele, CEO of Wintershall, stated: “Wintershall has been actively exploring in Qatar for more than 30 years and we are pleased with the results of the wells in Block 4N. We are looking forward to proving our capabilities as a reliable and technically competent operator and partner, and to extend the excellent working relationship with the Ministry of Energy and Industry of Qatar and Qatar Petroleum in this possible future development.”

Qatar Petroleum, a public corporation established by Law number 10 of 1974, is responsible for all phases of the oil and gas industry in Qatar. The principal activities of QP and its subsidiaries and joint ventures cover exploration, drilling and production operations, transport, storage, marketing and sale of crude oil, natural gas liquids, liquefied natural gas, refined products, petrochemicals and fertilizers. QP’s strategy of conducting hydrocarbon exploration and development are through Exploration and Production Sharing Agreements (EPSA) and Development and Production Sharing Agreements (DPSA) concluded with major international oil and gas companies.


Mitsui Gas Development Qatar B.V., a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsui & Co., Ltd. Mitsui and Co., Ltd., joined Qatargas 1 project in 1989 and Wintershall EPSA in 2010.


Wintershall Holding GmbH, based in Kassel, Germany, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BASF in Ludwigshafen. The company has been active in the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas for over 80 years. Wintershall focuses on selected core regions, where the company has built up a high level of regional and technological expertise. These are Europe, North Africa, South America, as well as Russia and the Caspian Sea region. In addition, these operations are complemented by the company’s growing exploration activities in the Arabian Gulf. Today, the company employs more than 2,000 staff worldwide from 40 nations and is now Germany’s largest crude oil and natural gas producer.