LNG from Qatar to Europe Delayed to December

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Written by Daniel Graeber for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Summary

Italian energy company Edison said it was told of further delays in shipments of LNG from Qatar. Among the world leaders in LNG exports, Qatar may be facing a multi-billion-dollar repair bill from damage incurred during the conflict in the Middle East.

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The Race is On for Secure LNG Supplies

Problems stemming from the conflict in the Middle East prompted liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplier QatarEnergy to extend a pause on deliveries until December, an Italian customer said Monday.

Conflict simmering in the Middle East since late February has upended large segments of the global energy sector. Regional oil suppliers such as Iraq and Kuwait are largely shut in because of shipping problems in and around the Persian Gulf.

By March, Industrial Info Resources was reporting that drone damage to the Ras Laffan North and Ras Laffan South facilities in Qatar led to a US$26 billion repair bill.

Industrial Info Resources offers more information on these facilities in its Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Oil & Gas Plant Database, where readers can find details in plant profiles of Ras Laffan North and Ras Laffan South.

On Monday, Italian energy company Edison said it received notice from QatarEnergy that it would not be able to deliver scheduled cargoes until at least early December. As a result, Edison said 35 total cargoes with a combined 162 billion cubic feet of natural gas have been subjected to force majeure declarations from Qatar since the conflict began.

Estimates from the International Energy Agency (IEA) show the impact to the LNG sector could mean that supply-side disruptions could last well into next year, with short-term supply losses already amounting to almost 5 trillion cubic feet of gas in the liquid form.

"Regional gas production is also affected by the shutting in of oil fields, which has reduced the output of gas associated with oil production," the IEA added.

Edison said, meanwhile, that it was able to replace some of those volumes by bringing in LNG from alternate suppliers at its Adriatic LNG terminal.

Industrial Info show the import terminal has a peak regasification capacity of 767.5 million cubic feet per day (MMSCFD), along with 250,000 cubic meters of storage.

Apart from Damage, Commodity Prices are Causing Global Economic Pain

Waterborne shipments of LNG are impeded by the conflict. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center on Monday reporting that a vessel was hit in the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in a fire that was extinguished. The Maritime Trade Operations Center did not offer information regarding the kind of vessel that was hit.

On Tuesday, the German news agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur reported that the conflict has led to more than $113 billion in energy costs. Dan Jorgensen, the energy commissioner for the European Union, expressed concern about the bloc's dependence on imports from a handful of suppliers.

"This, of course, shows us just how bad it is for us to be dependent, just how unsustainable it is for us to be dependent on energy sources from other places in the world," he was quoted as saying.

A profile from the US International Trade Association finds Italy is the third-largest market for natural gas, after the United Kingdom and Germany, respectively. In 2024, the last full year for data in the profile, Italy imported almost 2 trillion cubic feet of natural gas from the likes of Azerbaijan, Qatar, the U.S. and Norway. Algeria is Italy's largest supplier of LNG.

More recently, TotalEnergies said it reached a final decision on the Absheron natural gas field in Azeri waters of the Caspian Sea, where developers said supplies would support energy security in a European economy facing pressures ahead of the winter heating season. For more on that, see September 28, 2026, article - TotalEnergies Sees Azerbaijan as Boost for EU Energy Security.

By the Numbers

• 35: LNG cargoes to Italy delayed by conflict
• 5 trillion cubic feet: The amount of natural gas in the liquid form sidelined so far globally

Key Takeaways

• The global LNG sector remains rocked by conflict in the Middle East.
• Europe is still fretting over supply diversity.

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About Industrial Info Resources
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, Industrial Info Resources is tracking over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 Trillion (USD).