Qatar’s state-run energy company, QatarEnergy, announced on Monday that it has ceased production of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and associated products after Iranian drone attacks on two of its main gas processing facilities.
According to a company statement, the attacks targeted facilities in Ras Laffan Industrial City, located 80 kilometers north of Doha, and Mesaieed Industrial City, 40 kilometers south of the capital. Qatar’s defence ministry confirmed that one drone hit an energy facility in Ras Laffan, while another struck a water tank at Mesaieed, both critical sites for the country’s natural gas production. No casualties were reported.
Qatar is one of the world’s top LNG producers, sharing the world’s largest natural gas reservoir, the North Field, with Iran. The country’s portion of the field holds an estimated 10 percent of global natural gas reserves. QatarEnergy has previously signed long-term LNG supply agreements with major international companies, including France’s Total, Britain’s Shell, India’s Petronet, China’s Sinopec, and Italy’s Eni.
The halt in production underscores the vulnerability of global energy supplies in the Gulf amid rising regional tensions.
