Qatar Ditches Pipelines for Strait of Hormuz Amid LNG Export Concerns

Qatar has ruled out using pipelines as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz for transporting its LNG exports, according to Energy Minister Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi. Speaking at the Qatar Economic Forum in New York, Al-Kaabi said that transporting natural gas via pipelines would make little commercial and economic sense.

'We are grateful for our neighbors who have welcomed us to use their territories,' Al-Kaabi said, 'but not everything can be transported via pipelines.' He added that LNG cannot be transported by pipelines and would need to be liquified at receiving terminals, making redundant the facilities being built in Qatar as part of the North Field expansion project.

The decision is based on commercial and technical criteria, Al-Kaabi emphasized. He also mentioned that recent attacks on Qatar's Ras Laffan gas facilities have damaged two LNG trains and a GTL plant, with repairs expected to take significantly longer for the LNG facilities. Repairs on the GTL train are set to be completed in the first quarter of 2027.