QatarEnergy extends force majeure on Italy’s Edison until August

• 17 LNG cargoes cancelled so far
• 25-year supply contract for Italy
• Country had $2.8bn Q1 fiscal deficit

QatarEnergy has extended a force majeure notice to Italian energy company Edison from early July to mid-August and has cancelled five additional liquefied natural gas cargoes.

To date, 17 LNG cargoes have been subject to force majeure, totalling 2.2 billion cubic metres of gas, Edison, a unit of French group EDF, said in a statement.

The five LNG cargoes were scheduled for delivery to the Adriatic LNG terminal between July and mid-August.

Earlier this month state-backed QatarEnergy cancelled two additional LNG cargoes and extended the force majeure to early July.

The company signed a 25-year contract with Edison in 2009 to supply 6.4 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas per year to Italy. In the first quarter of the year it received 1.6 bcm of LNG from Qatar, with the last delivery in March.

As of May 25, Edison has replaced nine, or 1 bcm of natural gas, of the 17 cargoes. The company ruled out any impact on end customers, citing its mitigation actions and portfolio management.

Force majeure is a common clause in contracts that essentially frees both parties from liability or obligation when an extraordinary event or circumstance beyond their control prevents the fulfilment of obligations.

Further reading

• Qatar’s assets can weather Iran war, says ratings agency
• QatarEnergy tanker arrives in Texas for first Golden Pass LNG
• Qatar’s economy in numbers

Iranian attacks in March knocked out nearly 17 percent of Qatar’s LNG export capacity, with QatarEnergy CEO Saad Al-Kaabi estimating annual revenue losses of $20 billion for the country.

Qatar’s Ras Laffan is the world’s largest LNG export hub, accounting for about 20 percent of global supply. It pumps almost 30 percent of UAE gas demand via its Dolphin pipeline, a joint venture between Mubadala, Occidental Petroleum and Total.

The International Energy Agency estimates that 84 energy facilities across Iran’s Gulf neighbours were damaged in the first wave of attacks in March and April, including 34 that suffered “serious or very serious” damage.

Qatar reported a fiscal deficit of QAR10.3 billion ($2.8 billion) in the first quarter of 2026, its finance ministry said on Monday.