QatarEnergy Extends Force Majeure for LNG Consignments to Italy

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

Summary

The latest delay in shipments means Italy is losing out on LNG consignments because of the U.S. campaign in the Middle East. Italy is among the largest consumers of natural gas in the European Union.

Edison S.A. Reports Further Delays

With conflict in the Middle East reaching the six-month mark, QatarEnergy told one of its largest European clients it wouldn't be able to deliver liquefied natural gas (LNG) until at least November.

Industrial Info Resources has monitored energy-related developments stemming from the conflict in the Middle East since joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes took out top Iranian leadership in February. By March, Industrial Info 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 and likely means supplies of LNG could be curtailed for at least five years.

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 Friday, Italian energy company Edison S.A. said force majeure was declared for five cargoes to early November, bringing the total for Edison to 29 since the conflict began.

"QatarEnergy has informed Edison that it will not be able to deliver an additional 5 LNG cargoes scheduled for the Adriatic LNG receiving terminal in Italy," the company explained in a statement. "This will effectively extend the overall force majeure period from beginning of April to early November 2026."

Edison in 2009 signed a 20-year supply contract to secure around 226 billion cubic feet of gas in the liquid form annually with QatarEnergy. That's about 10% of total Italian gas consumption.

Much of that arrives at the Adriatic LNG terminal. One of the first of its kind, data from Industrial Info show the plant has a peak regasification capacity of 767.5 million cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), along with storage.

A profile from the U.S. 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 United States and Norway.

Nearly 25% of that gas was in the form of LNG, where federal U.S. data show Italy as the fourth-largest importer of U.S-sourced LNG in Europe.

Six months into a campaign that was initially touted by the U.S. government as a short endeavor, the situation continues to disrupt supply chains and create pressure on the global energy sector. Reuters in a report from Friday found traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was below the 10-day moving average of 15 vessels daily, highlighting ongoing bottlenecks.

Mediterranean Flows Spared from War

Routes through the Mediterranean, however, remain clear, leaving the European economies open to draw on alternative supplies from the likes of Norway and the United States.

In its NATGAS Today report for Friday, Industrial Info Resources showed the amount of feed gas running to U.S. export terminals for LNG was around 18 Bcf/d, shy of late-2025 records above 19 Bcf/d.

In the U.S. market, Cheniere Energy's Sabine Pass terminal in Cameron, Louisiana, is the largest by volume. Data from Industrial Info Resources show the facility can handle as much as 4.5 Bcf/d in feed gas, and was operating at 97% of its peak as of Friday.

By the Numbers

• 10% of total Italian gas consumption met by Qatari supplies
• 29 cargoes from Qatar delayed so far this year for Edison S.A.

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.