Bahrain may resume LNG imports in 2027: Bapco

: Natural gas
26/11/05

Bahrain may return to the LNG market next year with imports potentially approaching 2025 volumes after weaker industrial demand curbed its requirements this year, a senior executive at state-owned Bapco said.

Imports could be "not far off" from 2025 levels, when Bahrain received eight cargoes, although requirements will depend on how quickly its industrial sector recovers, senior executive at Bapco Upstream, Bader Albuqaishi, told Argus on the sidelines of the Adipec conference in Abu Dhabi on 4 November.

Bahrain entered 2026 expecting industrial expansion, economic growth and a rising population to raise electricity demand and increase its LNG requirements, Albuqaishi said.

"We had bigger plans of imports in 2026 initially, and that changed quite a bit later on," he said during a panel discussion.

"Attacks in March and restrictions on imports and exports disrupted industrial activity and reduced energy requirements," he said. "Some industries also faced shortages of raw materials".

Bahrain has received just one LNG cargo this year and does not expect further deliveries before the end of the year, Albuqaishi said, adding that "the demand just wasn't there".

Domestic gas production also declined during the disruption. Output fell to 1.88bn ft³/d in April from 2.32bn ft³/d in January, before recovering to 2.28bn ft³/d in August, according to latest figures from the Joint Organisations Data Initiative (Jodi).

Albuqaishi said gas output has now stabilised at normal levels. "We swing between 1 and 1.5bn ft³/d depending on the month, and the summer requirement."

Alqubaishi was likely referencing Bahrain's non-associated gas output level, which averaged 1.54bn ft³/d in 2025, down from 1.75bn ft³/d in 2024, according to oil ministry data. Associated gas output, which averaged close to 900mn ft³/d in 2025, will have fallen significantly due to much reduced crude oil production since the start of the war. Crude output averaged just 40,000 b/d in March-June, rising to 102,000 b/d in August, according to latest Jodi figures. This compares with an average of 180,000 b/d in 2025.

Bahrain began regular LNG imports in 2025 to supplement domestic gas supplies and protect against shortages as demand from industry, power generation and water production increased. Bahrain imported around 635,000t of LNG in May-October 2025, peaking at about 217,000t in August as summer power demand rose, according to data from Kpler.

By Rithika Krishna and Nader Itayim

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