Qatar plans to rapidly restart LNG production after Strait of Hormuz opens

DOHA – Qatar is planning to rapidly boost liquefied natural gas (LNG) production once the Strait of Hormuz reopens, aiming to restore most of its export capacity within two months, according to people familiar with the matter.

QatarEnergy, which operates the country’s LNG facility, has told buyers that it expects to raise output to about 50 per cent of capacity a month after safe passage through the strait is restored, and to roughly 80 per cent within two months, said the people, who asked not to be named as they are not authorised to speak with the media. 

The remaining capacity – equivalent to two production trains – will take years to fully restore after it was damaged by Iranian missile strikes in March, they said.

QatarEnergy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Qatar shut the world’s largest LNG facility in the first week of the war after an Iranian attack, triggering cancellations and denting the supplier’s longstanding reputation for reliability.

The Ras Laffan complex, which exported almost a fifth of global supply in 2025, has remained largely idle for more than three months as the effective closure of Hormuz made it too difficult to ship large amounts of gas.

But Qatar has been laying the groundwork since April to allow for its rapid restart.

QatarEnergy has been testing equipment and performing necessary maintenance, Bloomberg reported in April.

Several production trains have been operating at reduced capacity so that the plant can deliver shipments to neighbours, but also be able to increase output when necessary, the people said.

Resuming half of its output within a month is faster than what some analysts and traders had been expecting. 

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said Hormuz would be open by June 19, when an interim agreement is due to be signed with Iran in Switzerland.

However, his European allies do not share his optimism, and a senior US official has said that mines would still need to be removed.

Shipowners, traders and producers have been trying to seek clarity on the situation.

The return of LNG from Qatar will help ease a global supply crunch. Despite the tentative US and Iran peace agreement, LNG prices in Europe and Asia remain elevated compared with pre-war levels.

Qatar has been able to export a handful of shipments out of the Persian Gulf to buyers in Asia by masking the location of tankers as a safety measure, but those deliveries are still far lower than normal. BLOOMBERG