The project involves supplying gas from Block 18, in the Marib region in central Yemen via a 320 km pipeline as far as the LNG plant located at the port of Balhaf, on the country's southern coastline. The plant began production with its initial line, while the second is under construction. Total capacity is 6.7 million Tm per year.

Line number 7 at the RasGas plant in Qatar was completed in late 2009, at around the same time as production started up on line number 6. Qatar has the third-largest gas reserves in the world, accounting for 13.2% of supplies.

Saudi Arabia is theoretically the fifth-ranked country for natural gas reserves worldwide, although the reserves known so far are mainly associated gas, sold only on the domestic market. Recent approval for an offshore research development programme could bring about a change in the situation in the medium term.

In late October Repsol and Shell announced that they had resumed talks on developing investments in the south of Iran, specifically Phase 13 of the South Pars field, one of the world's richest. It should be remembered that their interest had in the past faltered, partly as a result of political factors.

Iran plans to export gas to Pakistan via the 'Pipeline of Peace' from 2013 onwards, after the two countries reached an agreement in September to build a gas pipeline with a budget of 7.6 billion dollars.