The Shocking Threat: Lightning Strikes and Natural Gas Facilities

July 14, 2025--Written by Aaron Studwell for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--At any given instant, approximately 2,000 thunderstorms are active across the globe, producing around 100 lightning strikes every second. That adds up to an estimated 1.4 billion flashes each year; while the majority is concentrated across tropical regions, no corner of the planet is immune. From the plains of North America to coastal liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals in Asia, lightning is a constant and dangerous force of nature. For natural gas infrastructure--whether pipelines, processing plants, or LNG terminals--lightning presents a uniquely volatile risk, capable of igniting fires, damaging critical systems and disrupting supply.