CEO: France's GTT Sees Opportunities In Increased Gas Production

July 20 (Reuters) - French gas transportation systems supplier GTT can benefit in the coming years from increased liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply as it will boost the need for transportation, Chief Executive Philippe Berterottière said.

Qatar's plan to raise LNG output by 30 percent "could be very positive news for us", he told Reuters, even though an oversupply of LNG has kept prices low and led some market players to postpone investment decisions.

“We can say that the wait-and-see attitude for LNG carriers is still here,” said Berterottière. “We cannot say that eight LNG carriers in six months is a lot,” he added, referring to the orders received by GTT in the first half of 2017.

But he also sees low prices as an opportunity.

“The cheaper LNG is the more it’s going to be adopted and the more it’s going to be transported,” he said.

“Many decisions have been taken in recent years for new projects...they see a kind of rebound of the need for LNG by 2022 and that means that the decisions should be taken now to be in place for 2022.”

GTT, which makes systems to transport and store the super-cooled LNG, also received orders for four Floating Storage Regasification Units and one Floating Liquefied Natural Gas unit in the first half of 2017.

The company reported a 4.7 percent fall in first-half revenue on Thursday, impacted by falling royalties from LNG and ethane carriers.

Core profit (EBITDA) increased slightly to 74.6 million euros ($86.78 million), as tight controls on operating costs, particularly relating to subcontracting and personnel offset falling revenue.

The company confirmed full-year guidance, targeting revenue of 225 million to 240 million euros, a net margin above 50 percent and a 2017 dividend at least equivalent to the 2.66 euros per share it paid in 2015 and 2016.

($1 = 0.8596 euros)

(Reporting by Alan Charlish; editing by Susan Thomas)