LNG
Japan's JERA looking to build 2 LNG power plants, scrap 5 aging units
Japanese power generator JERA announced it has begun an environmental assessment on building two 650 megawatt (MW) LNG power plants at its Chita thermal station in central Japan, and plans to scrap five aging plants.
Golar Power offers top bid for Petrobras's LNG terminal
Golar Power Ltd has submitted the top bid for a highly-sought-after LNG import terminal being leased by Brazil’s state-run energy firm Petrobras, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said. The terminal and regasification facility was offered under a wider government effort to end the state oil company’s monopoly in natural gas imports and processing. The Bahia state terminal can process 20 MM cubic meters per day of LNG and includes a 45 kilometer pipeline.
BP's Tangguh LNG Train 3 in Indonesia delayed again due to pandemic
The start of operations of Train 3 at BP's Tangguh LNG plant in Indonesia is set to be pushed back again due to labour restrictions implemented as a precaution during the coronavirus pandemic, the company and a regulator said. Train 3 is now expected to start production in the fourth quarter of 2021, Dwi Soetjipto, chairman of upstream oil and gas regulator, SKK Migas, told a parliamentary hearing on Wednesday.
Goldboro LNG project signs service agreement contract
Pieridae Energy Limited announced it has signed a services agreement with global engineering firm Bechtel related to Pieridae’s 2-Train Goldboro LNG Facility. Some of the key deliverables in the services agreement are: Initiating a detailed review of the scope and design of the Goldboro LNG Facility and developing a comprehensive engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning (EPCC) execution plan by March 31, 2021; Delivering a final lump sum, turnkey EPCC contract price proposal by May 31, 2021; and Conducting a meaningful engagement with the Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq First Nations including their participation in the construction of a large-scale work camp at the LNG site.
Dominion shuts Maryland Cove Point LNG export plant for annual maintenance
Dominion Energy has shut its Cove Point LNG export terminal in Maryland for annual maintenance expected to last about three weeks, according to energy traders and company notices to customers. Natural gas flows to the plant fell close to zero on Monday from around 0.7 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) since its last maintenance outage from Sept. 20-Oct. 13, 2019, according to data from Refinitiv.
Freeport gets more time to build Train 4 at LNG export plant in Texas
(Reuters) - U.S. energy regulators granted Freeport LNG's request for three more years - until May 2026 - to complete its proposed fourth liquefaction train at its LNG export plant in Texas. The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved construction of the fourth train in May 2019, requiring Freeport to finish the facility within four years by May 2023.
Snam's DESFA eyeing 20% stake in Greek offshore LNG terminal
Greek gas grid DESFA, 66%-owned by a consortium led by Italy’s Snam, is interested in buying a stake in an offshore LNG terminal in northern Greece, people familiar with the matter said. DESFA is considering taking a 20% stake in the consortium developing the Alexandroupolis LNG project, which is expected to be operational by 2023, the sources said.
Up to 7 MMtpy of spare capacity available at North West Shelf by 2027
Wood Mackenzie’s latest report shows that the North West Shelf (NWS) LNG project could have up to 7 million tons per year (MMtpy) of spare capacity available by 2027. This equates to 40% of the project’s nominal capacity. The Woodside-operated five-train NWS facility has been producing LNG since 1989. Next year production capacity becomes available for the first time.
Chevron delays restart of Gorgon LNG unit
Chevron Corp anounced it will delay till October the restart of the Train 2 unit at its Gorgon LNG plant in Western Australia, as more time is needed to repair welds on its propane heat exchangers. Train 2 at Australia’s second-largest LNG plant has been shut since May for maintenance, which was extended after cracks were found in the production unit’s propane kettles. The company had hoped to complete the repairs by early September.
Cheniere says no major damage to Sabine Pass plant from Hurricane Laura
U.S. LNG producer Cheniere Energy Inc said Hurricane Laura caused no significant damage to its Sabine Pass liquefaction facility and pipeline assets in Louisiana. The massive storm hit Louisiana last week with 150 mile-per-hour (240 kph) winds, damaging buildings, knocking down trees and cutting power to more than 650,000 people across two U.S. states but its surge was much less than predicted.
Venture Global LNG reports minimal impacts of Hurricane Laura on Calcasieu Pass LNG
Venture Global LNG, Inc. announced that its Calcasieu Pass LNG facility under construction in Cameron, LA has sustained minimal impacts from Hurricane Laura, which made landfall in Louisiana and passed directly over the project site.
Russian bank to provide $741 MM loan for Gazprom's new LNG project
Russian state development bank VEB said it will provide a 55 billion rouble ($741 million) loan for Gazprom’s LNG project near the Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga. The project will comprise building both a gas processing complex with an annual capacity of 45 billion cubic meters and a 13 million ton per year LNG plant at the site.
Cameron LNG Train 3 begins commercial operation
McDermott International Ltd. announced the beginning of commercial operation of Train 3 at Cameron LNG, which is jointly owned by Sempra LNG, Total S.E., Mitsui & Co., Ltd. and Japan LNG Investment LLC , a company jointly owned by Mitsubishi Corporation and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK).
Freeport seeks more time to build Train 4 at LNG export plant
U.S. LNG company Freeport LNG asked federal energy regulators for three more years until May 2026 to complete its proposed fourth liquefaction train at its LNG export plant in Texas. The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved construction of the fourth train in May 2019, requiring Freeport to finish the facility within four years by May 2023.
International consortium to supervise Cyprus LNG infrastructure project
The Natural Gas Infrastructure Company of Cyprus (ETYFA) completed the evaluation procedure for the selection of the Owner’s Engineers team that will advise ETYFA and oversee the project for the development of the Cyprus LNG Import Terminal. The consortium “Hill International N.V. and Bureau Veritas Solutions Marine & Offshore Greek branch” was ranked first, with Tractebel and Gazocean as subcontractors. The Owner’s Engineers team is internationally renowned, with strong representation in Europe
Chevron expects to restart Train 2 of Gorgon LNG plant in early September
Chevron Corp expects to restart Train 2 of its Gorgon LNG plant in Australia in early September after completing repairs, a company spokesman said. Gorgon is carrying out the repair work after a routine inspection of the train’s propane heat exchangers during planned maintenance found weld quality issues, the spokesman said.
Tellurian stock soars after India's Petronet renews investment deal
Shares of U.S. LNG developer Tellurian Inc soared after Indian sources familiar with the matter said India’s top gas importer, Petronet LNG, renewed a deal to give the parties more time to finalize an investment in Tellurian’s Driftwood export project in Louisiana. Shares of Tellurian, which did not comment on the Petronet deal, were up as high as 53% in midday trade.
Total signs $14.9 B debt financing for huge Mozambique LNG project
French oil major Total has signed a $14.9 billion senior debt financing agreement for its massive LNG project in Mozambique, the biggest project financing ever in Africa, it said. The project includes the development of the Golfinho and Atum natural gas fields in the Offshore Area 1 concession, and the construction of a two-train liquefaction plant with a capacity of 13.1 million tons per annum, Total said.
Oil firms ready to pick up the infrastructure divestment pace
Pipelines, storage facilities and processing plants could replace non-advantaged production as prime candidates Oil and gas producing firms create the most value by exploring for, developing and producing hydrocarbons. Internal rates of return (IRRs) far in excess of 20pc are the norm for successful upstream projects.
Caution creeps into investors’ oil and gas infrastructure appetite
The US downturn and the inexorable rise of ESG concerns are clouds on the horizon even for traditionally low-risk energy investments Infrastructure assets have remained relatively immune to the negative sentiment from investors towards fossil fuels—good news for IOCs looking to sell off non-core pipelines, processing plants and storage tanks to generate cash. But this immunity may be waning. Investors like the steady source of revenue from these assets, which help to diversify their investment portfolios and can provide some protection from low oil prices.
Poland signs deals to expand its LNG terminal
Poland has signed contracts worth 1.9 billion zlotys ($483 million) to expand its LNG terminal in Swinoujscie on the Baltic Sea to 8.3 billion cubic meters (bcm) by 2023 from 5 bcm now in response to increasing domestic demand. An LNG unit of Poland’s gas infrastructure operator Gaz-System and the ports of Szczecin and Swinoujscie on Wednesday signed a contract with a consortium of Porr and TGE Gas Engineering on the expansion project.
RWE, German LNG Terminal finalizing import deals for Brunsbuettel
German LNG Terminal, the venture behind a planned LNG terminal at Brunsbuettel, is expected to make an investment decision on the project shortly after binding import contracts have been finalised at the end of 2020, it said. RWE, Germany’s largest power producer, has secured potentially 5 billion cubic metres of import capacity it could use to market the supply if the project goes ahead.
Chevron puts stake in Australia's North West Shelf LNG on the block
Chevron Corp has put up for sale its minority stake in Australia’s biggest and oldest LNG project, the North West Shelf, after drawing interest from potential buyers, the company said. The move marks a long-awaited shake-up of ownership in the 30-year-old project as it runs out of gas and shifts towards becoming a facility that will process gas into LNG for third parties.
Croatia's new LNG terminal to start operations in January fully booked
Croatia’s floating liquefied natural gas terminal on the northern Adriatic island of Krk will start operating on Jan. 1, 2021, having its full capacity booked for the next few years, Energy and Environment Minister Tomislav Coric said. “By this project we achieve security of gas supply for Croatia and we contribute to the security of gas supply for the European Union. Due to the higher competition on the gas market we expect that the gas prices in Croatia may fall,” Coric said.
Russia's Novatek Arctic LNG 2 project on track
Novatek says progress for the Arctic LNG 2 project is estimated at 19%, with concrete casting of the first GBS platform estimated to be completed by 37%, despite the COVID-19 outbreak.
Exxon Mobil eyes LNG-to-power projects in Vietnam
Exxon Mobil Corp is exploring the possibility of investing in new projects to develop LNG-to-power plants in Vietnam, the Southeast Asian government said. Exxon Mobil has long been engaged in the development of the Blue Whale gas field in Vietnam, but no new progress on that has been seen in recent years.
Shell weighs sale of $2 billion-plus stake in Queensland LNG facilities
Royal Dutch Shell is considering raising more than $2 billion from the sale of a stake in the common facilities at its Queensland Curtis LNG plant in Australia, according to a sale flyer reviewed by Reuters
Golden Pass Seeks to Boost Capacity at Texas LNG Plant
(Reuters) — Golden Pass LNG sought permission from U.S. federal energy regulators to boost the capacity of the company’s $10 billion export terminal under construction in Texas to 18.1 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) from 15.6 MTPA.
Record-setting Q2 at northwest Europe’s LNG terminals
Six of the region’s eight LNG terminals saw deliveries above 80pc of capacity for a second consecutive month All of the LNG terminals across Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium and France’s Atlantic coast received deliveries in May at more than 80pc of their processing capacity, as did the UK’s South Hook terminal, according to data by leading cargo tracking firm Kpler. This marks the second month that six of the facilities that can readily supply into northwest Europe (NWE) have topped 80pc utilisation for the first time since the so-called ‘LNG wave’ started emerging in early 2019.
China’s challenge: securing sufficient gas
The pandemic appears to have barely dented China’s hunger for gas. The difficulty remains building sufficient production, import, storage and transport capacity to satisfy demand China’s natural gas demand has proved to be surprisingly resilient in the face of the Covid-19 outbreak.
