Ras Laffan: Explosion at Qatar’s key gas station kills 13 and leaves dozens injured

An explosion at a crucial gas export terminal in Qatar has killed least 13 people, the country’s energy minister confirmed on Monday.

Saad Sherida al-Kaabi, speaking at a news conference in Doha, described the incident as an industrial accident.

The blast, which occurred at the Ras Laffan industrial area, specifically the Barzan gas supply facility on Sunday night, could exacerbate volatility in global energy markets.

Qatar, a leading natural gas producer, had previously halted production when Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz prevented shipments.

With Iran reportedly easing its stance amid ongoing negotiations for a permanent peace, Qatar had begun efforts to restart its export terminal, leading to the fatal explosion and subsequent fire.

Initial reports around the blast say at least 54 people were injured, with 18 missing.

The scale of the damage remains unknown after the blast, with officials initially saying only a few people had been hurt. But hours later, Qatar’s Interior Ministry offered the far-greater casualty figures.

The Barzan plant had a capacity of almost 1.4 billion standard cubic feet of sales gas per day, which Qatar used primarily for local electricity generation and to power its crucial water desalination plants in the desert reaches of the Arabian Peninsula.

Qatar owns nearly all of the plant, with a small share also held by ExxonMobil. The oil company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Restarting LNG operations is a particularly complex process due to a deliberately slow cooldown to avoid thermal shock. LNG trains cannot restart simultaneously and must be brought back in sequence.

In the liquefaction process – which turns gas into a liquid state by cooling it down to approximately minus 162 degrees Celsius (minus 260 degrees Fahrenheit) – the cooldown is the most critical step.

The facility is located in Ras Laffan Industrial City, QatarEnergy’s site for LNG production and export with an annual production capacity of 77 million metric ​tons.

In March, an Iranian missile hit Ras Laffan, sparking a fire that caused “extensive” damage before it was extinguished, authorities said. Qatar had already halted production there because of Iranian attacks.

Qatar shares its massive offshore natural gas field in the Persian Gulf with Iran. That natural gas production has made Qatar wealthy.

It has used that money to raise its profile worldwide through hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup, creating the Al Jazeera news network and funding its work as an international mediator, including the talks in Switzerland between Iran and the United States.