Investigators in Qatar are seeking the cause of a mechanical failure that has halted nearly one third of the country’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) production.
The Qatargas 1 plant has been shut down since Jan 8 due to the problem, an official of Qatargas, the LNG unit of state-owned Qatar Petroleum, told Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
He declined to indicate when production would resume. “We have to take out time to determine what are the root causes. We’re waiting for the result of this investigation. It’s important for us to be prudent.”
The closure comes at an especially awkward time for Qatar’s European customers. The continent has been left short of gas for much of the past two weeks, as Russia shut off pipeline supplies through Ukraine over a contract dispute with the gas transit country. Analysts had predicted that Europe would seek to import extra LNG cargoes to offset the shortfall.
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