據5月17日彭博社報道，隨著巴林石油產量下滑，這家波斯灣最小的石油生產國正轉向進口天然氣，以滿足日益增長的能源需求。

管理巴林石油和天然氣基礎設施的Nogaholding首席執行官馬克?托馬斯(Mark Thomas)表示，巴林計劃在2025年進口至少五到六批液化天然氣。他表示，該國可能在2023年接收一批液化天然氣，以測試其基礎設施，并計劃在2024年購買3至5批貨物，以滿足夏季月份飆升的需求。

沙特阿拉伯和阿聯酋等中東石油生產國正在投入數十億美元，為其不斷擴張的化工和工業部門尋找新的天然氣資源。作為歐佩克第一大和第三大產油國，其日產量分別可達1200萬桶和400萬桶。巴林相較于它們而言是很小的產量，不過，在發展新的依賴天然氣的工業以促進增長時，都面臨著類似問題。

周一，托馬斯在中東石油天然氣會議上接受采訪時表示，巴林正處于“供需臨界點”，除非這個島國能夠開發新資源，否則不斷下降的產量將難以跟上消費步伐。托馬斯表示，巴林正與兩家國際石油公司合作勘探海上非常規氣田，但他沒有透露合作伙伴名字。

Nogaholding正在尋找一名獨立財務顧問，以評估該國石油業務債務結構，并決定是否出售資產來籌集資金。

巴林能源部長在同一次會議上表示，政府將決定一項戰略，幫助為巴林工業進一步擴張提供資金。此前，沙特出售了國有石油生產商沙特阿美(Aramco)股票，阿布扎比將其部分石油資產上市。

巴林表示，“自從沙特阿美進行IPO以來，所有事情都被擺在了桌面上，作為增加資本來源的一種手段。作為政府，我們還沒有決定采取任何行動，這個問題已經擺在了明面上。該計劃將擴大我們為化工廠等項目融資的能力，相信各種項目將在未來5年看到曙光”。

王佳晶 摘譯自 彭博社

原文如下：

Gulf’s Smallest Oil Producer Looks to Gas imports to Meet Demand

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The smallest oil producer in the Persian Gulf is turning to natural gas imports to meet rising energy demand as production from its own deposits slips.

Bahrain plans to import at least five or six cargoes of liquefied natural gas in 2025, according to Mark Thomas, chief executive officer of Nogaholding, which manages the country’s oil and gas infrastructure. The country may take a cargo of LNG in 2023 to test its infrastructure and plans to buy three to five cargoes in 2024 to meet surging demand during the summer months, he said.

Middle Eastern oil producers like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are ploughing billions of dollars into finding new gas resources for their expanding chemical and industrial sectors. As OPEC’s first and third-largest producers they can pump as much as 12 million and 4 million barrels a day, respectively. Bahrain is just a fraction of that and faces similar problems as it develops new, gas-dependent industries to bolster growth.

Bahrain is at the “tipping point between supply and demand” as declining output will struggle to keep up with consumption unless the island nation can develop new resources, Thomas said in an interview Monday at the Middle East Petroleum Gas Conference. Bahrain is working with two international oil companies on exploration of unconventional offshore gas fields, said Thomas, without identifying the partners.

Nogaholding is seeking an independent financial adviser to review the debt structure of the country’s oil businesses and to determine whether to sell assets to raise funds.

Bahrain’s energy minister, speaking at the same conference, said the government would decide on a strategy to help fund further expansion of industry in Bahrain. That comes after Saudi Arabia sold shares in state producer Aramco and Abu Dhabi listed some of its oil assets.

“Since Aramco did the IPO, everything’s been on the table as a means of increasing the capital sources,” said Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Bin Ahmed. “We haven’t decided as a government yet to do anything, it’s on the table.” The plans will expand “our ability to finance our projects like chemical plants and various projects will see the light in the next five years.”