Liquefied natural gas supplies from Qatar to Belgium have been halted due to attacks on Qatari energy infrastructure, Belgian media reported. According to the information, the company “Qatar Energy“ has declared force majeure and expects the disruption to last a long period of time, BTA reports.
The decision also affects other countries, including Italy, South Korea and China. The Qatari company, which is among the world's leading exporters of liquefied gas, has already notified a temporary suspension of its activities. Qatari Energy Minister Saad Sherida al-Kaabi estimates that recovery could take between three and five years, with the affected volume amounting to about 17% of Qatari liquefied gas exports.
Although imports from Qatar represent 8% of Belgium's total liquefied gas, they account for about 30% of the country's supplies of this energy resource. In response, Belgian authorities are already considering increasing imports from Norway. Last year, 36% of the gas used in Belgium was supplied by Norwegian pipelines.