A blast erupted during start‑up at the Ras Laffan complex on Sunday, striking the Barzan gas supply facility operated by Qatar Energy. The explosion ignited fire and forced an emergency shutdown, halting output from a plant that can deliver 1.4 billion cubic feet of sales gas daily. Authorities called the incident a technical accident and said it posed no immediate public safety threat.

Qatar's Interior Ministry confirmed 54 injured workers and 18 missing after the fire engulfed the site. Barzan feeds pipeline gas to power plants, desalination units and heavy industry, making it a linchpin of the country's energy infrastructure. Damage to the complex could disrupt domestic fuel supplies and curb liquefied natural gas exports that have already been pressured by regional conflict.

The incident arrives as Qatar seeks to restore LNG shipments that support a sizable share of its GDP. With the plant also producing ethane, condensate, LPG and sulfur for export, any prolonged outage may tighten global supply and affect pricing. Recovery efforts are underway, but the full scale of operational loss remains unclear.