Ongoing regional conflicts have crippled standard export channels, forcing energy players to reconsider their infrastructure footprints. While Al-Aufi advocates for new pipeline networks, such projects face immediate security risks, including the threat of drone and missile strikes that have previously targeted critical energy assets like Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline.

Oman remains a central player in this shift, currently operating its LNG hub beyond its nameplate capacity of 11.4 million tons per year to compensate for supply deficits elsewhere in the Gulf. This production surge arrives alongside warnings from industry leaders like Chevron’s Balaji Krishnamurthy, who anticipates that global LNG prices will remain elevated for at least the next six months. With QatarEnergy reportedly scouting long-term deals with U.S. producers through 2031 to offset domestic supply losses, the market is bracing for a prolonged period of high energy costs.