By Maha El Dahan

ABU DHABI, Nov 3 (Reuters) - The CEO of QatarEnergy, one

of the world's biggest liquefied natural gas producers, told

Reuters on Monday that the company's massive North Field

expansion project will produce its first LNG in the second half

of 2026.

The state-owned company said in May that first production at the

field, which according to CEO Saad al-Kaabi was originally

planned for the end of this year, would begin in mid-2026.

Al-Kaabi attributed any delays to slowdowns related to COVID

restrictions earlier this decade, and not to geopolitical

tensions.

"I'm still looking at somewhere in mid-2026, in the third,

fourth quarter 26 maximum," Kaabi said in an interview on the

sidelines of the annual ADIPEC energy conference.

"It's looking quite positive. I think we are on track to

meet that date. With these huge projects, it can move up and

down a few months, but that's basically the range we're looking

at."

When at full production, the North Field expansion project

is expected to produce 126 million metric tons of LNG per annum

by 2027, boosting QatarEnergy's output by some 85% from its

current 77 mtpa.

The project involves the construction of six industrial units

that cool natural gas into liquid form for export by ship, which

are commonly known as gas trains. Production will begin when the

first train is operational, Kaabi said.

QatarEnergy has not said when full production would be

reached.

Qatar said in June that an Israeli strike on Iran's portion of

the shared gas field, some 200 km (124 miles) from QatarEnergy's

installations, was a reckless move.