Poland’s largest energy group, Orlen, said on Tuesday it had terminated one of its two long-term liquefied natural gas supply contracts with QatarEnergy, after a force majeure in place since spring left the Qatari supplier unable to meet its delivery obligations. Reuters reported the move is the first known termination of a long-term Qatari LNG contract since the war with Iran disrupted exports from Qatar, the world’s second largest LNG exporter in 2025.
The cancelled contract covered 1 million tonnes of LNG a year. It was signed on June 29, 2009, originally with PGNiG, deliveries began in 2016, and it was due to run until 2034. Orlen estimated the contract’s value at about 570 million euros, or 2.5 billion zloty, for 2026 alone. The agreement remains in force for 60 days after the termination notice.
QatarEnergy declared force majeure in March, after Iranian drone attacks damaged liquefaction trains at Ras Laffan, and extended it at the end of October to the end of the year, as tanker travel through the Strait of Hormuz remains hazardous. Iranian forces carried out 37 attacks on tankers in October, a monthly record since March, according to reporting of the extension.
Orlen stressed that the cancellation does not affect Poland’s security of supply, saying production from its own fields together with its remaining long-term agreements covers the group’s needs in full. A second contract with QatarEnergy, for up to 1 million tonnes a year until 2034 and priced off gas market benchmarks rather than crude, remains in force.
The termination lands even as physical flows show partial recovery. Kpler data reported earlier this week put LNG exports through Hormuz at 31 tankers in October, the highest since February, although Qatar’s total loadings of 2.7 million tons remained far below February’s 6.2 million tons. Orlen’s decision suggests at least one major buyer no longer expects contracted Qatari volumes to return on a timetable it can plan around.