Explosion at Qatar's LNG Heart, Ras Laffan, Raises Fears of Another Shock to the Global Energy Supply Chain

[Financial News] Several people were injured in an internal explosion at Ras Laffan Industrial City in Qatar, the world's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) hub.
According to AFP, the Ministry of the Interior of Qatar said on the 21st local time that "an explosion caused by a technical accident occurred at Ras Laffan Industrial City, leaving several people injured." The ministry added that "an internal explosion occurred at one of the plants in Ras Laffan Industrial City following the technical accident," and that "the Civil Defense Corps has been dispatched to the scene."
AFP reported that it had "seen flames and a column of smoke about 20 kilometers south of Ras Laffan Industrial City." In response, QatarEnergy, the operator of the facility, said that "an accident occurred during startup at Ras Laffan Industrial City" and that "this led to an explosion and fire at the Barzan local gas supply facility."
The explosion appears to have occurred during the process of restarting facilities at Ras Laffan Industrial City, whose operations had been halted after an Iranian attack. During the Middle East war that began in late February, Ras Laffan Industrial City suffered repeated major damage from Iranian drone attacks and was forced to shut down.
whywani@fnnews.com Hong Chaewan Reporter