DOHA, Qatar, May 20 (UPI) -- German energy company Wintershall said Wednesday it's closing its offices in Qatar because of a lack of access to natural gas infrastructure.
Qatar ranks third in the world in terms of proven natural gas reserves and, with 890 trillion cubic feet of estimated natural gas reserves, the country holds 13 percent of the total global gas reserves.
Qatar Petroleum and Wintershall announced the discovery of natural gas in the shallow waters off the country's coast in the al-Radeef reserve area in 2013.
Martin Bachmann, Wintershall's director for the regional exploration and production, said it was clear once the discovery was made that development was dependent on gaining access to local infrastructure.
"This access was not granted," he said in a statement. "That is why we have decided to take this step [to pull out of Qatar]."
The Qatari government said at the time of the discovery that it represented a "strong exploration drive" for the country's vast natural gas reserves.
Wintershall said it was closing its offices in Doha, but not abandoning the region altogether. It said it's focus was now on developments in the United Arab Emirates.
There was no statement on the withdrawal from Qatar Petroleum. The state-owned company in early May said it was extending invitations to leading international oil and gas companies to help develop its al-Shaheen oil field.
