13 dead, dozens injured after 'technical accident' at giant Qatar LNG site

AI Summary

An explosion caused by a technical malfunction at Qatar's Ras Laffan LNG complex killed 13 people and injured dozens during operations to restart following Iranian missile attacks. Despite the incident, the plant’s export capabilities remain unaffected with an ongoing investigation, highlighting the region's challenges in ramping up energy production amid conflict.

At least 13 people were killed, and dozens injured, after an explosion at Qatar’s massive Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas (LNG) complex, which occurred as workers were restarting operations halted after an Iranian attack in March. The interior minister said a “technical malfunction” occurred on Sunday evening, with authorities saying the incident at the Barzan local gas supply facility on Sunday evening, The ministry said that 13 people had died and 66 were injured. It said the plant’s export capabilities were unaffected and there was no risk to the environment. Qatar, which hosts a major US military base, has come under repeated Iranian missile and drone attacks during the Iran war, which trapped around 20 per cent of global LNG supply in the Gulf before some shipments began to resume recently. QatarEnergy did not provide details on where in the plant the explosion took place nor the extent of the damage, but Saad al-Kaabi, CEO of QatarEnergy CEO and Qatar’s energy minister, said an investigation had started into the incident. The blast rattled windows and was felt across central Doha, panicking residents more than 70 kilometres from Ras Laffan. Pakistan’s embassy in Qatar expressed its deep sorrow over the incident and said it remained “available to facilitate Pakistani nationals and their families in connection with the incident”. The embassy added that it was in contact with the relevant Qatari authorities. It further said Pakistani community members requiring assistance may contact the embassy in Doha at +974 6679 0329 and +974 6648 6213. Ramp-up challenges The incident highlights the challenges Gulf producers face in ramping up oil and gas production from facilities shut in during the Iran war. Qatar has been among the hardest hit by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz as it has no alternative routes to export its LNG. Restarting LNG operations is a particularly complex process due to a deliberately slow cooldown to avoid thermal shock. LNG trains cannot restart simultaneously and must be brought back in sequence. In the liquefaction process — which turns gas into a liquid state by cooling it down to approximately minus 162 degrees Celsius — the cooldown is the most critical step. The facility is located in Ras Laffan Industrial City, QatarEnergy’s site for LNG production and export with an annual production capacity of 77 million metric tons. An Iranian missile attack in March struck two of its key gas-processing units, slashing about 17pc of Qatar’s LNG export capacity, which QatarEnergy’s CEO told Reuters would take three to five years to repair. The war also forced the company to evacuate about 10,000 workers from offshore rigs and onshore processing plants. The company reported no injuries during the March missile attack.