QatarEnergy says Hormuz crisis may delay LNG expansion projects

According to Business Recorder, QatarEnergy's North Field East project should deliver its first train in the first half of 2027. Additional trains, though, hinge on the Strait of Hormuz crisis. Speaking in New York on Sunday, chief executive Saad al-Kaabi said equipment for the expansion still cannot reach Qatar because of the strait disruption.

Traffic through the strait has effectively stopped since the US and Israel launched military operations against Iran, threatening to delay part of the world's largest LNG expansion as Qatar works to offset volumes lost after strikes on its Ras Laffan export hub. The attacks wiped out 17% of Qatar's LNG capacity, and two LNG trains were damaged, with repairs that could take three years. Work on one gas-to-liquids plant is set to wrap up during the first quarter of 2027. Al-Kaabi said normal gas operations could resume within weeks of the strait reopening.

Separately, the Golden Pass LNG project in Texas, co-owned by QatarEnergy and Exxon Mobil, should have its second and third trains fully running in 2027. Its first train started production in March, the first cargo left in April, and at full operation the project should output 18 million metric tons of LNG a year. Al-Kaabi also ruled out pipelines through neighbouring countries as a workable substitute for Hormuz exports, citing commercial and technical reasons.