Key facts
- Orlen said QatarEnergy could not supply the 1 million tons of LNG a year it had contracted.
- The Orlen contract ran from 2016 to 2034 and was signed in 2009.
- QatarEnergy extended its force majeure to the end of 2026 at the end of October.
- Qatar's LNG exports were 2.7 million tons in October, against close to 6.2 million tons in February, per Kpler.
- QatarEnergy has contracted volumes from U.S. Cheniere Energy to help meet its contracts.
Polish state-owned energy firm Orlen has become the first long-term buyer to cancel an LNG supply contract with QatarEnergy, according to a regulatory filing from late on November 10, 2026. Orlen said QatarEnergy had become unable to meet its obligation to supply 1 million tons of liquefied natural gas a year. The contract was signed in 2009, deliveries began in 2016 and the term ran to 2034.
QatarEnergy has been unable to load normally since declaring force majeure in spring 2026, after Iranian attacks on U.S. allies in the Gulf. The company said in March that the attacks removed 17% of Qatar's export capacity and an estimated $20 billion in annual revenue. At the end of October it extended the force majeure to the end of the year, with tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz still disrupted.
Kpler reported that 31 LNG tankers left through the Strait of Hormuz in October, the most since February and up from 23 in September. Most loaded at Qatar's Ras Laffan hub, and in two cases cargoes were transferred to other tankers after the original vessels cleared the strait. Qatar's LNG exports were still 2.7 million tons in October against close to 6.2 million tons in February. QatarEnergy has contracted volumes from U.S. Cheniere Energy to help meet contracts.