A massive explosion occurred in the crucial natural gas export facility of Qatar when the employees tried to restart the facility after it was bombed by Iran during the war, resulting in a fire which caused injuries to 54 people, while 18 others were still missing after many hours. This incident can cause even more trouble for energy markets across the globe, especially since Qatar is considered to be one of the major producers of natural gas worldwide. Qatari production had earlier stopped because of Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
With negotiations ongoing regarding a definitive resolution to the conflict, Iran is now starting to ease control of the strait, which means that Qatar has already started laying down plans for resuming its export operations. State-run firm QatarEnergy confirmed that this work sparked the explosion and subsequent fire at the Barzan gas supply facility on Sunday night. While the full extent of the damage remains unknown, initial official statements suggested only a few people had been injured. However, hours later, Qatar's Interior Ministry released the significantly higher casualty figures.
The Barzan plant has a capacity of almost 1.4 billion standard cubic feet of sales gas per day, which Qatar uses primarily for domestic electricity generation and to power its vital water desalination plants across the desert region. Qatar owns nearly the entire facility, with a minor stake held by ExxonMobil. The American oil company did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In March, an Iranian missile struck Ras Laffan, causing extensive damage before the resulting fire was brought under control. Qatar had already halted production at the site prior to that incident due to ongoing Iranian attacks. Qatar shares its massive offshore natural gas field in the Persian Gulf with Iran. The large amount of money coming from such gas production has turned Qatar into one of the richest countries in the world and it has been able to raise its own profile through holding the 2022 FIFA World Cup, launching the Al Jazeera television channel, and being an international mediator in matters like the current peace negotiations between Iran and America.
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