MILAN: ​Edison and some Pakistani clients of QatarEnergy will not receive liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Gulf supplier until the end of this year, the Italian utility and a market source said on Tuesday.

In a message on the platform of Italy’s energy markets manager GME, ‌Edison said QatarEnergy ‌had extended force majeure on ​LNG ‌deliveries ⁠to ​end-December from ⁠a previous early-December deadline.

A further three LNG cargoes that were intended for the Italian utility — one of Qatar’s biggest customers in Europe — will be affected by the suspension, Edison said.

Clients in Pakistan were also informed that force ⁠majeure notices had been extended until the ‌end of this ‌year, one person with knowledge of ​the matter told ‌Reuters.

QatarEnergy did not immediately respond to a ‌request for comment.

The Gulf supplier has canceled deliveries to Edison since April due to disruptions caused by the Iran war, which began in late February.

Edison holds ‌a long-term contract with QatarEnergy for the supply of 6.4 billion cubic ⁠meters of ⁠natural gas per year to Italy, around 10 percent of the country’s annual consumption.

The contract, which has been in force since 2009, has a total duration of 25 years.

The lack of supply from Qatar, a low level of gas storage in Europe and gradually cooler weather have pushed the benchmark Dutch price for gas to above €95 per megawatt hour ​this week, close to ​its highest levels since December 2022.