LNG

The Russian Sakhalin-II LNG plant has shipped its 200th LNG cargo since coming on stream last year, and volumes initially destined for the Pacific coast of Mexico and US consumption have been sold instead to China and India.

Australia Pacific LNG, a joint venture coal-seam-gas-to-LNG project between ConocoPhillips and Origin Energy, has halted fracture stimulation of CSG exploration wells in parts of Queensland because of pollution concerns.

Imports of LNG to the UK and the European Union from countries such as Algeria and Egypt will rise in the years ahead and new projects will require investments from the EU, a meeting in Vienna of Europe’s and North Africa’s ministers and energy officials will be told.

Marubeni, the Japanese investor and trader whose investments include an art collection with paintings by artists such as Botticelli and Gainsborough, said it signed an agreement with Australian coal-seam-gas company Eastern Star Gas on developing an LNG plant, and in a separate deal bought a stake in eight LNG carriers.