Orlen Leans Harder on US LNG as Qatari Cargoes to Poland Stay Snarled by the Mideast Conflict
Polish refiner and gas importer Orlen said on November 6 that it has begun receiving cargoes under its second long-term supply contract with US developer Venture Global, as the company leans more heavily on American LNG while its Qatari supply remains disrupted by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, according to a report by Energy Intelligence that cited company statements.
A second US contract starts flowing
The new volumes are arriving from Venture Global’s Plaquemines terminal in Louisiana, with deliveries under the contract due to begin in early November. Orlen has said it expects the added US supply to grow further as Venture Global and a separate long-term contract with Sempra ramp up deliveries into 2027 and 2028, based on remarks made on the company’s earlier earnings call. The Plaquemines ramp-up gives Orlen a second source of flexible US cargoes alongside its existing long-term contract with Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass facility, part of a broader push by Polish buyers to diversify away from pipeline gas and any single LNG supplier since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Why the Qatari gas hasn’t followed
The US cargoes are filling a gap left by Qatar. QatarEnergy declared force majeure on Orlen’s long-term supply contract after drone strikes damaged facilities at the Ras Laffan LNG complex in March, according to a Bloomberg report, and that force majeure remains formally in place. The disruption sits within a wider pattern this year: Venture Global itself told investors in a securities filing that the 2026 disruption around the Strait of Hormuz increased demand and prices for gas sourced from outside the Middle East, and that how long the conflict lasts remains unknown.
For Orlen, the exposure is one piece of a broader supply mix that also includes Norwegian pipeline gas and domestic Polish production, which the company has previously pointed to when arguing that a Qatari shortfall would not immediately threaten the country’s gas security. That reassurance predates the current disruption, however, and has not been restated specifically in relation to the current force majeure.
A Red Sea detour, and a mid-November test
Qatari LNG cargoes bound for European buyers have in recent months been routed through the Red Sea, a path shippers normally avoid because of the risk of attacks by Houthi forces operating from Yemen, rather than the shorter route around the Arabian Peninsula. A Bloomberg report says the first Qatari cargo to Poland since the suspension began is scheduled to arrive at the Świnoujście terminal around November 14, even with the force majeure still on the books. Maritime trade press has also reported that QatarEnergy itself has scheduled a cargo shipment to Orlen next month, pointing to at least a partial, if cautious, resumption of deliveries.
Whether that cargo arrives on schedule, and whether QatarEnergy follows it with a return to regular shipments, will be an early signal of whether Gulf LNG exporters can keep serving European contracts on their original terms while the broader Mideast conflict continues, or whether buyers like Orlen end up leaning on US suppliers for longer than either side initially planned.
Sources: Energy Intelligence, “Orlen Expands US LNG Supplies Amid Qatar Uncertainty,” Nov. 6, 2026, reporting Orlen’s statements; Bloomberg, reporting cited via Energy Intelligence and other outlets on the Świnoujście cargo schedule and the March force majeure; Venture Global Inc., Form 10-Q, 2026, on Strait of Hormuz-related market disruption; maritime trade press reporting on QatarEnergy’s scheduled cargo shipment to Orlen.
Internal reference: The Daily Energy previously covered Venture Global’s arbitration loss to Galp over Calcasieu Pass LNG and tanker attacks near the Strait of Hormuz that have unsettled Gulf shipping routes.
Illustrative image. Photo: VileGecko, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons — source
