A member of the Qatari government criticized the concept of energy transition, saying that renewable energy does not solve the problem and is not achievable if you keep your feet on the ground.
Qatar’s Energy Minister Saad Al Kaabi warned on Tuesday that “the worst is yet to come” in terms of oil and gas shortages in Europe, adding that only a warm winter and an economic slowdown have worsened the past few months. is stopped.
The minister said at the Qatar Economic Forum that the risk of an energy crisis is due to the lack of investment in the extraction of hydrocarbons due to plans to transition to cleaner fuels.
“If the economy picks up and you have a normal winter, I think the worst is yet to come,” Al Kaabi said.
Subsequently, the senior Qatari official himself questioned the energy transition and its implications.
“If you talk about renewable energy, you can generate electricity from wind and solar, but you cannot produce plastic or anything in this class, women’s make-up or cream. Besides, renewable energy does not solve the problem, requires a relevant mix of energies, and cannot be motivated by politics and politicians alone.”
In his opinion, “‘energy transition’ is a fine term to say, but it is not achievable if you keep your feet on the ground.”
Al Kaabi proposed European leaders to draw up “an adequate plan”, sit down to negotiate with producers and not “demonize” oil companies and gas suppliers, thus making, in these circumstances, “a sensible solution”. ” can be found. ,
“It is likely that by the end of the year we will run out of all gas from North Field East and North Field South (two gas fields, in the early stages of exploitation, located near the bottom of the Persian Gulf). Qatari coast), in terms of long-term contracts,” said the Qatari cabinet member. “Obviously, there’s a huge demand,” he explained.
His Saudi counterpart, Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud, blamed risks to global energy security for “kicking off policies”. He pointed to insufficient investment in gas extraction and was ironic about renewable energy sources: “There is talk of blue, green, purple and pink hydrogen, but in the final analysis: who will be the buyers?” He asked. And they said: “What will be the price of hydrogen?”
