DOHA, June 22 (Reuters) - Thirteen people lost their lives and many others were injured in an explosion at Qatar's large Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas (LNG) complex. This incident happened while workers were restarti...
DOHA, June 22 (Reuters) - Thirteen people lost their lives and many others were injured in an explosion at Qatar's large Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas (LNG) complex. This incident happened while workers were restarting operations that had been paused after an Iranian attack in March.
Authorities reported a 'technical accident' took place at the Barzan local gas supply facility on Sunday evening.
Qatar, which has a significant U.S. military base, has faced repeated missile and drone attacks from Iran during the ongoing conflict. This situation has caused disruptions, trapping around 20% of global LNG supply in the Gulf, although some shipments have recently begun to resume.
On Monday, Qatar's Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi informed the media that 13 individuals died, and 66 were injured in the blast. He noted that all the deceased were from India and Pakistan.
He emphasized, “This was an accident, not an act of sabotage or hostility... The plant’s production had been completely halted since December 2025 for urgent maintenance and only restarted two days ago.”
Al-Kaabi reassured that there is no environmental risk and the plant's export capabilities remain intact. He also mentioned that an investigation into the explosion has commenced; the blast was strong enough to be felt across central Doha, causing panic among residents more than 70 kilometers away.
RAMP-UP CHALLENGES
This incident underscores the difficulties Gulf producers are facing in increasing oil and gas production from facilities that were shut down during the Iran conflict.
Qatar has been significantly affected by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, having no alternative routes for exporting LNG.
Restarting LNG operations is quite complex, as it requires a slow cooldown process to prevent thermal shock. The LNG trains cannot all restart at once and must be brought back online in order.
The liquefaction process turns gas into a liquid by cooling it to around minus 162 degrees Celsius (minus 260 degrees Fahrenheit), making the cooldown phase crucial.
The Barzan gas supply facility, where the blast occurred, is part of Ras Laffan Industrial City. This site is operated by QatarEnergy, which has a vast LNG production and export capacity of 77 million metric tons per year.
Barzan provides pipeline gas for local industries and power generation, as well as producing liquefied petroleum gas and other products for export.
An Iranian missile strike in March hit two gas-processing units at Ras Laffan, reducing Qatar's LNG export capacity by about 17%. QatarEnergy's CEO stated that repairs would take three to five years.
The conflict also compelled the company to evacuate around 10,000 workers from offshore rigs and onshore processing plants, with no reported injuries from the March missile attack.