India sees Qatar LNG supply cut after Iran strike

By Nidhi Verma

NEW DELHI, March 20 (Reuters) - Liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies from Qatar to India could be impacted following Iranian strikes on energy facilities in the Middle Eastern nation, a government official said on Friday.

India, the world's fourth-largest LNG importer, relies on Qatar for about 41% of its gas imports.

In 2024/25, India imported over 27 million metric tons of LNG, with Qatar supplying 11.2 million tons, according to government data.

"(LNG) capacity of Qatar has been hit, this will hit us too," Sujata Sharma, a joint secretary in the federal oil ministry, told a news conference. India is Qatar's second biggest LNG customer.

Iranian attacks have knocked out 17% of Qatar's LNG export capacity, causing an estimated $20 billion in lost annual revenue and threatening supplies to Europe and Asia, QatarEnergy CEO Saad al-Kaabi told Reuters on Thursday.

He said two of Qatar's 14 LNG trains and one of its two gas-to-liquids (GTL) facilities were damaged, with repairs expected to sideline 12.8 million tons per year of LNG for three to five years.

Qatar earlier this month had declared force majeure on gas exports after the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran broke out on February 28, halting shipments via the Strait of Hormuz.

Indian industry officials, however, are hopeful that Qatar will continue supplies to India after the lifting of the force majeure, as the facilities catering to Indian demand have not been affected by the attack.