RAS LAFFAN INDUSTRIAL CITY, QATAR – MARCH 3: A picture of Qatar Energy’s operating facilities on March 3, 2026 in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar. Qatar Energy announced a complete halt to liquefied natural gas (LNG) production at its Ras Laffan and Mesaieed facilities on March 2, 2026, after Iranian attacks targeted energy facilities. (Photo by Getty Images)
Getty Images | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Fifty-fourpeoplehave beeninjuredwhile18aremissingafteranexplosionatQatar’s coreliquefied natural gasprocessingsiteof Ras Laffan on Sunday,authoritiessaid.
An incident during the start-up of operations at Ras Laffan Industrial City resulted in anexplosionandfire at the Barzan local gas supply facility on Sunday evening,QatarEnergy said in a statement. Emergency response teams were deployed to contain the fire, which was now under control, it said.
Fifty-fourpeople had beeninjuredandrescue teams were looking for18missingpeople,Qatar’s Interior Ministry said in a statement. It attributed theexplosionto a “technical accident”andsaid there was no threat to public safety.
QatarEnergy did not indicate whether theexplosionhad caused any damage to the plant, which supplies gas to the domestic market.
A Reuters witness earlier reported that a loud boom was heard in the capital Doha, south of the Ras Laffan facility.
The Barzan gas facility has a capacity of 1.4 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd),andsupplies pipeline gas to local industriesandQatar’s power generation sector.
It also has capacity to produce ethane, condensate, liquefied petroleum gasandsulfur for domesticandexport markets.
The facility is located in Ras Laffan Industrial City,QatarEnergy’s primary site for LNG production and export with a total production capacity of 77 million metric tons per annum via 14 trains.
Two ofQatar’sLNGtrainsandone of its two gas-to-liquids facilities were damaged in strikes amid the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran,knocking out17% of the country’sLNGexport capacity with repairs expected to take years.
About The Author
