Qatar aims to restore LNG exports to 80% capacity in two months

Qatar is preparing to rapidly restore its liquefied natural gas exports once the Strait of Hormuz reopens, aiming to bring most of its production capacity back online within two months, according to industry sources. The plan represents a faster recovery than many analysts anticipated for a critical global energy supplier.

The country's state-owned QatarEnergy has informed buyers it expects to raise output to about 50 percent of capacity within one month of safe passage through the strait being restored, and to roughly 80 percent within two months. The remaining capacity, however, is expected to take years to repair following damage sustained from Iranian missile strikes in March. Those strikes targeted the massive Ras Laffan LNG complex, which produces nearly all of Qatar's LNG and accounted for about one-fifth of global supply last year.

The main obstacle to a swift recovery is not production but logistics, according to a source familiar with the matter. The challenge will be how quickly the company can bring ships in and load them after the vital waterway reopens. The strait has been effectively closed to large-scale shipping since the conflict between the U.S. and Iran began...