Qatar to increase gas output by 30%

Qatar said on Tuesday it would increase its Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) output by 30 per cent, Saad al-Kaabi, the head of Qatar Petroleum, said.
Even though the increase would be in defiance of a recent economic boycott by Doha’s neighbours, al-Kaabi said “Qatar Petroleum will not be affected by the siege.”
The state-owned company planned to increase output from 77 million tonnes to 100 million tonnes per year, al-Kaabi said, according to local media.
The plan includes doubling production from the North Field, the world’s biggest natural gas field, which Doha shares with Tehran.
A month ago, three Gulf states — Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain announced total blockade of Qatar, a move that is putting pressure on the Qatari economy.
Along with Egypt, the states have severed diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism, a charge that Doha denies.
German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel is currently in the UAE for talks regarding the crisis.
He began his regional tour with talks with his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir in Jeddah on Monday.
Gabriel is scheduled to head to Doha Tuesday afternoon, then to Kuwait on Wednesday.
Kuwait has been acting as a mediator to resolve the crisis which began in early June.
On Monday, Qatar delivered to Kuwait its response to the list of demands issued by the four Arab countries.
The demands included downgrading ties with Iran, a regional rival of Saudi Arabia; stopping support for Islamist groups; and shutting down the Doha-based broadcaster Al Jazeera and its channels.