Qatar has announced new plans to expand output from the world’s biggest natural gas field, saying it will boost capacity to 142 million tonnes per annum before 2030. The new North Field expansion, named North Field West, will add a further 16 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) per year to existing expansion plans. Qatar’s Energy Minister Saad Sherida al-Kaabi said at a news conference on Sunday. Qatar’s Energy Minister Saad Sherida al-Kaabi says recent studies have shown that the North Field contains huge additional gas quantities estimated at 240 trillion cubic feet, which raises the state of Qatar’s gas reserves from 1,760 [trillion cubic feet] to more than 2,000 trillion cubic feet. He says these results will enable them to begin developing a new LNG project from the North Field’s western sector with a production capacity of about 16 million tonnes per annum. The QatarEnergy chief says the firm will immediately commence with engineering works to ensure the expansion is completed on time.