Saad Al-Kaabi, Qatar's Minister of State for Energy Affairs and Qatar Energy CEO, confirmed the death of 13 workers and 66 injuries in the explosion at its Ras Laffan industrial complex on June 21.
He said the company has procedures in place to support victims and their relatives both inside and outside Qatar.
Addressing the media a day after the incident, Al-Kaabi said QatarEnergy is assessing the full extent of damage, adding that the immediate priority remains the safety of personnel, environmental protection and stabilisation of the affected site.
He said the company had yet to determine the scale of the physical damage or the financial cost of the accident, noting that a comprehensive technical assessment would be required before repair schedules and expenditure estimates could be announced.
“First we have to assess what the damage is, which will take some time, and then after assessing the damage we put a plan on rectifying it and the timeline,” he told the press conference in Doha.
The explosion occurred in a gas processing facility within the Ras Laffan industrial complex rather than at one of the liquefied natural gas trains previously affected by separate incidents. Al-Kaabi stressed that the latest event was an industrial accident rather than an act of sabotage.
QatarEnergy and state authorities have activated established protocols for communicating with affected families and foreign embassies where necessary.
FINANCIAL IMPACT STILL UNKNOWN
QatarEnergy has not yet estimated the financial losses associated with the accident.
Al-Kaabi said damage assessments and repair costs represent the next phase of the response.
“This is not the priority now,” he said, emphasising that personnel safety and site stabilisation took precedence.
Al-Kaabi sought to reassure domestic consumers and industrial customers, stating that Qatar possesses sufficient gas supply capacity to compensate for any temporary losses resulting from the incident.
He indicated that local electricity generation, desalination facilities and industrial users would continue receiving adequate supplies.
“We have ample supplies of gas to make up for that loss,” he said.
The minister also attempted to separate the accident from wider geopolitical concerns surrounding the Strait of Hormuz and regional energy security.
He argued that international confidence in Qatar’s energy exports should be judged by the country’s long-term delivery record.
The repair timetable for the affected gas plant remains uncertain pending technical investigations.
SAFETY REVIEW UNDER WAY
Al-Kaabi defended QatarEnergy’s safety systems, describing the energy industry as inherently high-risk but heavily regulated.
He said investigators would determine whether the accident resulted from human error, equipment failure, design deficiencies or material defects.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS CONTAINED
The minister said the company’s initial efforts following the explosion concentrated on preventing additional injuries, extinguishing the fire and ensuring that no gas releases affected neighbouring industrial facilities or surrounding communities.
“Our concern was to ensure there was no environmental impact and no gas release that could affect nearby plants or people,” he said.
No significant environmental damage or off-site impact has been reported, although detailed investigations remain under way. –OGN / TradeArabia News Service
