QatarEnergy has extended its force majeure on liquefied natural gas (LNG) deliveries to Italian utility Edison, preventing the supply of three additional cargoes through the end of September. Edison disclosed the update on Tuesday, saying the prolonged disruption now affects a total of 24 LNG cargoes.
The impacted shipments represent about 3 billion cubic metres of natural gas under Edison’s long-term supply agreement with QatarEnergy. Despite the shortfall, the Italian utility said it has secured alternative gas supplies and will continue meeting all customer demand and contractual obligations.
As of July 28, Edison had already replaced 17 of the affected cargoes through the Adriatic LNG terminal, covering around 1.6 billion cubic metres of gas. The company said these replacement measures have helped maintain supply reliability despite the ongoing disruptions.
Edison, a subsidiary of France’s EDF, imports 6.4 billion cubic metres of gas annually from QatarEnergy under a 25-year contract signed in 2009. The continued force majeure has already weighed on the company’s financial performance, contributing to a sharp decline in first-quarter operating profit and prompting it to lower its full-year outlook amid uncertainty linked to the Middle East conflict.