New Delhi: A massive fire broke out at the Barzan Gas Supply Plant in Qatar’s major Ras Laffan Industrial City following a massive explosion on Sunday night. At least 54 employees have been seriously injured in this sudden accident, while 18 other people are still missing. Relief work is going on to search for them. The accident occurred when plant employees were trying to restart operations at the terminal.
Massive explosion in Qatar’s Barzan gas plant
In fact, after Iran’s recent bombing and blockade of the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, Qatar had to temporarily stop its exports and production. Qatar was unable to send gas to its international customers. Qatar stepped up efforts to reactivate its main export terminal after Iran eased sanctions on the Strait of Hormuz amid ongoing peace talks for a permanent solution to the war. According to the government company ‘Qatar Energy’, this major accident occurred at the Barzan plant on Sunday night during the restoration process.
54 employees injured, 18 missing
After the accident, there was initial confusion regarding the loss figures. In the initial hours, Qatari officials reported minor damage and a few minor injuries, but given the seriousness of the situation, Qatar’s Interior Ministry later released the actual and higher number of casualties. At present, the exact economic and technical damage caused to the infrastructure by the explosion has not been fully assessed. At least 54 employees have been seriously injured in this sudden accident, while 18 other people are still missing.
Why is this plant special for Qatar?
Barzan Gas Plant is considered the backbone for Qatar’s domestic needs. The production capacity of this plant is to sell approximately 1.4 billion standard cubic feet of commercial gas per day. Qatar uses a large part of this produced gas for domestic electricity generation. This gas is also used to power seawater desalination plants, which are vital in ensuring the supply of drinking water to the desert areas of the Arabian Peninsula. The accident at this major hub of Qatar, one of the world’s top natural gas producers, has now deepened the possibility of turmoil in global energy markets regarding supply and prices.
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