RasGas, the Qatar-based liquefied natural gas producing company, will operate the facility, which is being developed in the North Field at a green-field site in Ras Laffan Industrial City, about 80km north-east of Doha.
Reuters cited Qatar Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics as saying in a statement: "Hydrocarbon output will get a boost from Barzan, a new pipeline gas production facility scheduled to come on stream in 2016 and reach full capacity in 2017.
Being developed by a joint venture (JV) of Qatar Gas and ExxonMobil, the project will feature a total of six trains.
The project, which also includes both onshore and offshore developments, is expected to produce 1.7 billion cubic feet a day (bcfpd) of pure natural gas in the initial phase.
Designed to meet the growing energy needs in the country, the Barzan gas project is a part of the Qatar National Vision 2030, which aims to make Qatar a developed country by 2030.
The ministry also said the Ras Laffan 2 condensate refinery is planned to enter service in the fourth quarter of 2016.
In 2013, Qatar Petroleum and France’s Total-led consortium have agreed to build the refinery, which will have production capacity of 146,000 barrels per day (bpd).
The $1.5bn refinery is designed to produce jet fuel and gas oil which will be used domestically while other products such as diesel will be exported to Asian markets.
