---
title: "QatarEnergy Extends Its LNG Force Majeure to September, Straining Gas Markets"
description: "One of the world's largest liquefied natural gas exporters has again told buyers it cannot deliver contracted cargoes — extending a suspension into September — as damage from the spring's Middle East conflict and instability around the Strait of Hormuz turn a short-term shock into a lingering strain on global gas markets."
category: "Business"
category_url: https://herald.la/category/business
author: "Elias Rosen"
published: 2026-07-01T04:48:00.000Z
updated: 2026-07-01T04:48:00.000Z
canonical: https://herald.la/article/qatarenergy-extends-its-lng-force-majeure-to-september-straining-gas-markets
tags: ["LNG", "QatarEnergy", "natural gas", "energy", "Strait of Hormuz", "Iran"]
---
# QatarEnergy Extends Its LNG Force Majeure to September, Straining Gas Markets

One of the world's largest liquefied natural gas exporters has again told buyers it cannot deliver contracted cargoes — extending a suspension into September — as damage from the spring's Middle East conflict and instability around the Strait of Hormuz turn a short-term shock into a lingering strain on global gas markets.

A disruption in the world's gas trade that began as a wartime emergency is settling into something more durable.

## The suspension, extended again

QatarEnergy has told its Italian buyer, Edison, that it will extend a "force majeure" on liquefied natural gas deliveries into early September, [LNG Prime reported](https://lngprime.com/europe/edison-qatarenergy-extends-force-majeure-until-early-september/190665/). The latest notice covers four more cargoes bound for Italy, bringing the total suspended since the spring to 21 — roughly 2.7 billion cubic meters of gas, by Edison's account. Force majeure is a standard contract clause that lets a supplier pause binding delivery obligations when an extraordinary, uncontrollable event makes performance impossible; in effect, Qatar is telling buyers the contracts are on hold. Edison, which has a long-term deal with QatarEnergy dating to 2009, says it has been able to source replacement cargoes and can still meet its own commitments.

## The root cause

The suspensions trace to missile strikes on QatarEnergy's Ras Laffan complex during the spring's U.S.-Iran conflict, which damaged two of Qatar's LNG production units and, by the company's account, knocked out roughly 17 percent of its export capacity. QatarEnergy has estimated the damage could cost around $20 billion in lost annual revenue and take three to five years to repair, [S&P Global Commodity Insights reported](https://www.spglobal.com/energy/en/news-research/latest-news/electric-power/031926-qatarenergy-expects-3-5-years-to-repair-lng-facilities-after-strikes). Long-term contracts with buyers in Europe and Asia have been placed under force majeure, [Al Jazeera reported](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/24/qatarenergy-declares-force-majeure-on-some-lng-contracts).

## The Hormuz factor

Compounding the damage on land is the route to market: the overwhelming majority of Qatari LNG must sail through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow passage between Iran and Oman that carries a large share of the world's seaborne gas. Transit through the strait has been repeatedly disrupted during and after the conflict, and the uncertainty over whether the corridor will stay reliably open has made it harder for Qatar to guarantee deliveries — one reason the latest suspension runs all the way into September.

## The market fallout

Qatar's scale means even partial outages ripple widely. When the first force majeure was declared in the spring, European wholesale gas prices and Asian LNG spot prices both jumped sharply in a single session, according to market reporting. Europe and Asia are the most exposed, and analysts expect new export projects elsewhere — in the United States, Australia and East Africa — to make up the shortfall only gradually. For now, with two damaged units facing years of repairs and the Hormuz route still uncertain, the disruption looks less like a passing shock than a feature of the gas market that buyers will have to plan around for some time.

## Sources

- [Edison: QatarEnergy extends force majeure until early September](https://lngprime.com/europe/edison-qatarenergy-extends-force-majeure-until-early-september/190665/)
- [QatarEnergy declares force majeure on some LNG contracts](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/24/qatarenergy-declares-force-majeure-on-some-lng-contracts)
- [QatarEnergy expects 3-5 years to repair LNG facilities after strikes](https://www.spglobal.com/energy/en/news-research/latest-news/electric-power/031926-qatarenergy-expects-3-5-years-to-repair-lng-facilities-after-strikes)