UAE halted operations at its largest gas plant after Iran's attack
Kyiv • UNN
A fire broke out at the Habshan plant due to falling debris. Iran's attacks on the region's energy system led to soaring oil prices and refinery shutdowns.
Abu Dhabi has suspended operations at the largest natural gas processing plant in the United Arab Emirates after an attack that caused a fire hours after strikes on key energy infrastructure in Kuwait, UNN reports, citing Bloomberg.
Details
Operations at the Habshan gas processing plant were halted after authorities intercepted the strike, and falling debris caused the fire, the Abu Dhabi media office said in a post on X earlier. In Habshan, the Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. operates the UAE's main facility for collecting and processing gas from the emirate's fields and distributing it for domestic consumption.
Iran continues to strike the region's energy infrastructure a month after the war began on February 28 with US and Israeli attacks on the Islamic Republic. The strikes have paralyzed refineries, petrochemical plants, and liquefied natural gas facilities, and forced some of the world's largest oil producers to cut output.
The Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed to shipping after Iran attacked several vessels in and around the Persian Gulf, disrupting a key export route that transports about a fifth of the world's oil supplies. This has caused oil prices to jump by about 50% to nearly $110 a barrel. The UAE is seeking to maintain some of its oil exports through a pipeline running from Habshan to the emirate of Fujairah, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.
On Friday, Iran warned that it would strike energy infrastructure and other facilities, such as bridges in Persian Gulf countries, if its own facilities of this kind were attacked.
Hours earlier, the Mina al-Ahmadi refinery in Kuwait was attacked, with operating units catching fire. Authorities also said that an attack on a power plant and a desalination facility occurred early Friday morning, damaging some components.
Following last month's attacks, the 346,000 bpd Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery and the nearby 454,000 bpd Mina Abdullah refinery were forced to shut down their units.