LNG

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albansese is considering a windfall tax on gas producers as LNG prices surge, asking to model new levy options for the gas industry. Government data showing LNG exports worth about A$65.4 billion and volumes of 79.8 million tonnes in the 12 months to April 2025.

India’s energy security is under strain due to loss of Qatari LNG deliveries, prompting Petronet to activate emergency clauses in other import agreements and scrambles for spot cargoes from Australia and the US to offset the shortfall.

Global LNG buyers fear far-reaching ripple effects of the loss of 12.8 million tons, or 17% of Qatari LNG after force majeure was declared on Ras Laffan Trains 4 and 6, with repairs taking three to five years. Markets see quite a bit of anxiety” from buyers in Japan, India, South Korea and Bangladesh which are heading up to buy spot cargoes, Poten & Partners’ senior LNG analysts Irwin Yeo observes.

Japan’s JERA has signed a six-year throughput agreement with Dunkerque LNG for 2 bcm/y, equivalent to about 1.5 mtpa of regas capacity starting 2031. The agreement complements JERA’s 5.5 mtpa of new US LNG supply under flexible FOB contracts.

QatarEnergy has offered five LNG unloading and regasification slots at Belgium’s Fluxys Zeebrugge terminal for April 2026. The five standard LNG slots were made available on Monday via the secondary market on the EMIX platform, Fluxys confirmed to Reuters.

Woodside Energy has brokered a deal with the Western Australian government to export nearly 3 mtpa more LNG from its Pluto liquefaction terminal in return for committing petajoules (PJ) of additional gas to the state's domestic market by 2029.

Japan’s second largest oil refiner Idemitsu Kosan has announced a $500 million investment in MidOcean Energy in a bid to enter the global LNG business. Idemitsu’s equity raise in MidOcean forms part of a $1.2 billion equity raise, with funds targeted at expanding LNG projects in Australia, Canada, South America.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has authorized Venture Global to ramp up LNG exports from its Plaquemines terminal by an additional 0.45 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) to non-free trade agreement (non-FTA) countries – a 13% increase.

Chinese-linked ships have been using their identity to transit the Strait of Hormuz on March 1-8, Lloyd’s List Intelligence data shows. None of the six vessels were oil or LNG tankers.

Kenyan authorities have announced plans for a $2.9 billion LNG-fuelled power plant near the port of Mombasa. The initiate targets a 1,200 MW plant in the Dongu Kundo area, provided attractively-priced term deliveries can be secured.