Qatar wouldn’t be able to significantly ramp up supplies of natural gas to Europe in the event of any disruption to Russian flows, according to three people familiar with the situation.
U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration has spoken to major gas producers, including Qatar, about the possibility of getting more shipments sent to Europe in case a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine interrupts flows. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly denied having any plans for an invasion.
Qatar, one of the world’s biggest exporters of liquefied natural gas, is already producing at full capacity and most of its cargoes are sent to Asia under long-term contracts that it can’t break, the people said. The Persian Gulf state doesn’t want to compromise those Asian partnerships even if doing so would reap political rewards in Europe and the U.S., they said.
The U.S. is prepared to ensure alternative supplies covering a significant majority of any potential gas shortfall, two senior Biden administration officials said Tuesday. Re-routing supplies could take anywhere from several days to a week or two, the officials said.
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