LNG

BHP Billiton of Australia said it was studying “a very, very big” new LNG project using feed-gas from its Scarborough and Thebe fields offshore Western Australia, with ExxonMobil as a partner and a first cost estimate of up to US$20 billion.

The Kenai LNG plant in Alaska, owned by ConocoPhillips and Marathon Oil, is seeking a two-year extension of its licence for LNG exports to Japan that would take its operating lifespan to 44 years or more.

Dutch gas shipping specialist Anthony Veder successfully loaded its new mini-LNG Carrier at the Fluxys Zeebrugge LNG import terminal - representing the first time such an export operation into a small LNG carrier has been carried out in the world.

The Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) has condemned the government’s plans for a “Resources Super Profits Tax” as a hindrance to huge investments in LNG ventures, and said deteriorating labour relations at the Pluto LNG project and others were affecting the country’s reputation for low sovereign risk.