BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 21. QatarEnergy President and CEO Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi has ruled out using pipelines as an alternative route for Qatar’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports.
Speaking during a session on “The Global Energy Realignment” at the Qatar Economic Forum 2026 in New York, held alongside the high-level meetings of the 81st UN General Assembly, Al-Kaabi thanked Qatar’s neighbors for offering their territories for a potential pipeline route bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, QatarEnergy said in a message.
“We are grateful for our neighbors who have welcomed us to use their territories,” he said. However, he stressed that LNG cannot simply be redirected through pipelines because it must first be transported as natural gas and then liquefied at receiving facilities. “This means we are building redundant facilities to the ones we are already building in Qatar as part of the North Field expansion project. This makes no economic sense,” Al-Kaabi said.
He added that QatarEnergy had decided against a pipeline alternative on “commercial and technical criteria.”
Damage to Ras Laffan facilities
Al-Kaabi also provided an update on damage sustained by Qatar’s gas infrastructure, saying attacks on Ras Laffan had affected two LNG trains and a gas-to-liquids (GTL) plant.
“Repairs on the GTL train will be concluded in the first quarter of 2027. However, it will take three years for repairs on the two LNG trains,” he said.
According to the minister, Qatar would be able to resume normal LNG operations within weeks once the Strait of Hormuz reopens.
“As for resuming operations, Qatar is ready to resume normal operations within a few weeks of the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz,” Al-Kaabi said.
Regarding the declaration of force majeure, he emphasized QatarEnergy's historical record as an LNG supplier.
“Throughout our history, we have been a reliable producer and supplier with zero defaults on any shipment. But this is absolutely beyond our control,” he said.
Why the Strait of Hormuz is critical for Qatar's LNG
The disruption is particularly significant for Qatar because the country relies heavily on the Strait of Hormuz to reach its LNG customers. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that around 20% of global LNG trade transited the strait in 2024, with Qatar accounting for the overwhelming majority of LNG exports through the route. Qatar exported about 9.3 billion cubic feet per day of LNG through the strait that year.
The EIA has said that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz in 2026 affected more than 10 billion cubic feet per day of global LNG supplies, equivalent to about 20% of global supply, with most of the disruption involving Qatar's Ras Laffan export facility. (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
The agency also reported that Qatari LNG exports declined in 2026 following the closure of the key export route, while Asian buyers — which accounted for more than 80% of Qatar's LNG volumes in 2025 — competed with European buyers for available spot cargoes. (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
Qatar's LNG expansion
Qatar's reliance on maritime LNG exports comes as QatarEnergy is simultaneously undertaking a major expansion of its liquefaction capacity.
QatarEnergy says current LNG production capacity stands at 77 million metric tons per year (MTPA). The North Field East project is expected to increase capacity to 110 MTPA, followed by North Field South, which would raise it to 126 MTPA. North Field West is planned to bring total Qatari LNG production capacity to 142 MTPA by the end of 2030. (QatarEnergy)
QatarEnergy describes the North Field as the world's largest single non-associated gas field, with confirmed reserves exceeding 2,000 trillion cubic feet. (QatarEnergy)
The scale of the planned expansion further underlines why Qatar would need additional liquefaction and export infrastructure if it were to transport gas by pipeline to another country for LNG production. QatarEnergy's existing expansion projects are already designed around an integrated production and liquefaction system in Qatar.
Asked about reports that Qatar was purchasing LNG from the market, Al-Kaabi pointed to QatarEnergy's plans to significantly expand its LNG trading activities.
“I have announced in 2024 that we're building one of the largest LNG trading organizations,” he said, adding that “in the very near future, we will be the largest LNG trader in the world by far.”
He said QatarEnergy was building its position with the objective of becoming the world's largest LNG trader.
