Doha – Qena:
His Excellency Engineer Saad bin Sherida Al Kaabi, Minister of State for Energy Affairs, announced the death of 13 people working at the Barzan LNG plant as a result of an accidental accident that occurred yesterday evening (Sunday).
In a press conference held today at Qatar Energy headquarters, His Excellency said that the explosion and fire that occurred at the Barzan LNG plant on Sunday evening was an “accidental accident” and not an act of sabotage or intentionality, indicating that the competent authorities have launched a comprehensive investigation to determine the causes of the accident.
He revealed that the deaths were of Indian and Pakistani nationalities, in addition to the injury of 66 people of nationalities (Qatari, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Kenyan, Guinean, Tanzanian, Nigerian, and Nepalese), confirming that there were no life-threatening cases among the injured.
His Excellency said that the explosion occurred at approximately 10:30 pm inside the factory run by Qatar Energy to meet the local demand for natural gas, pointing out that the facility had been shut down since December 2025 to carry out necessary maintenance and repairs before resuming operation just two days ago.
He added that Qatar Energy’s emergency response teams, in cooperation with Civil Defense, were able to fully control and extinguish the fire.
His Excellency offered his sincere condolences to the families of the victims and their colleagues, wishing a speedy recovery for the injured, and stressing that Qatar Energy provides all forms of support and assistance to those affected.
He pointed out that Qatar Energy’s liquefied natural gas facilities, the Ras Laffan port, and other logistical operations related to the energy sector were not affected by the accident, stressing that liquefied natural gas production and export operations would continue normally.
He confirmed that there were no environmental risks or possibilities for the leakage of hazardous materials as a result of the fire that broke out at the Barzan Natural Gas Plant, indicating that the competent authorities followed the situation from the first moments of the accident and did not detect any environmental threats that warrant concern.
In response to journalists’ questions during the press conference, His Excellency said that the top priority at this stage is focused on following up on the conditions of the victims and injured and completing technical investigations to find out the causes of the accident, explaining that talking about the extent of material losses or the cost of damage is still premature before the evaluation and investigation work is completed.
Regarding the impact of the plant’s cessation on the local market, His Excellency explained that the facility represents one of the important sources for supplying the local industrial sectors with natural gas, including the petrochemical, fertilizer and other sectors, but Qatar has reserve capacities and alternative operational plans that ensure supplies continue without interruption.
He stressed that the incident did not affect LNG exports or the country’s contractual obligations with international customers, stressing that production and export operations in other facilities are continuing normally.
In response to a question about when the factory will return to full operation, the minister said that it is too early to determine a clear time frame at the present time, explaining that this will depend on the results of technical investigations and the entry of engineering and maintenance teams to the accident site to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the damage.
The Minister of State for Energy Affairs also denied that the accident had any impact on Qatar’s future plans in the energy sector, stressing that the state’s expansion and strategic projects are continuing according to the established schedules.
Speaking about safety procedures, he explained that all industrial facilities in the country are subject to strict occupational security and safety regulations, and that the ongoing investigation will examine all possibilities, whether related to human error, technical malfunction, equipment problem, or other operational factors.
He added that the results of the investigation will be used to accurately determine the causes of the accident and take the necessary corrective measures to prevent the recurrence of such accidents in the future, stressing that the Qatari energy sector adheres to the highest internationally approved safety standards.
The Minister concluded the conference by emphasizing Qatar Energy’s commitment to full transparency in dealing with the accident, noting that the results of the investigations will be announced as soon as they are completed, while support and care will continue to be provided to the injured and the families of the victims.
