Qatar Fully Shuts Down LNG Production as Global Energy Markets Brace for Impact
Experts say returning production to full capacity could take at least a month as disruptions ripple through global energy markets
QatarEnergy (QE) declared “force majeure” on 4 March and announced the complete shutdown of key liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities, putting roughly a fifth of global LNG supply at risk if the disruption persists.
Two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that state energy company Qatar Energy (QE) started winding down operations earlier this week and will fully stop gas liquefaction on Wednesday.
The shutdown is expected to affect exports of super-chilled gas produced at the massive Ras Laffan complex, the country’s main LNG hub.
According to the sources, QE will need at least two weeks to restart the liquefaction process after the shutdown, with another two weeks required to return production to full capacity.
BREAKING: Qatar is set to fully shut natural gas liquefaction today, two sources close to the matter say.
Restarting natural gas liquefaction after a complete shutdown would take 2 weeks.
Once restarted, Qatar would need at least another 2 weeks to reach full capacity.
Qatar… pic.twitter.com/YzLCXVpQ53
— The Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) March 4, 2026
Qatar supplies roughly 20 percent of the world’s LNG, meaning the interruption is expected to tighten global gas markets. Much of the country’s LNG is shipped to Asia and Europe. China, Japan, India, South Korea, and Pakistan are among its largest customers.
The shutdown follows severe disruptions to shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which all Qatari LNG exports pass.
Maritime activity around the strait has slowed sharply during the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes, preventing cargo vessels from safely departing the region, and raising insurance premiums to record highs, as many brokers pull their contracts out of the strait entirely.
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Experts say restarting the facilities will be a gradual technical process. One expert tells Reuters that liquefaction plants must slowly reduce feed-gas flows before shutdown to protect equipment, while restarts require carefully staged cooling procedures to prevent thermal damage.
The disruptions extend beyond Qatar’s LNG sector, with Iraq suspending crude exports from the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region through the Kirkuk–Ceyhan Pipeline, removing roughly 200,000 barrels per day (bpd) from global markets.
Saudi Aramco also suspended operations at the Ras Tanura refinery, the world’s largest oil refining complex, after a drone strike on 2 March triggered a fire.
