LNG

Excelerate Energy Inc., the specialist US company for LNG floating storage and regasification projects from South America to the Nordic region and South Asia, reported steady earnings after a quarter marked by further deals in Qatar and Brazil.

Excelerate Energy, the leading US provider of floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs) and an LNG trader with increased demand from Europe and Asia, has now completed two long-term LNG supply accords focused on delivering more cargoes to Bangladesh and to integrate its business in the South Asian nation.

Excelerate has just signed a 15-year Sales and Purchase Agreement (SPA) with QatarEnergy after signing a similar SPA in late 2023 with Bangladesh’s national energy company PetroBangla as the customer this time.

Excelerate said that under the QatarEnergy deal the Texas-based company would purchase up to 1 million tonnes per annum of LNG from Qatar on a delivered ex-ship basis in Bangladesh and beginning in January 2026.

The US company will purchase 850,000 tonnes per annum in 2026 and 2027 and 1.0 MTPA from 2028 to 2040.

Qatar deal

“This inaugural long-term supply agreement with the world’s largest LNG supplier marks a new milestone in our collaboration with QatarEnergy,” said Steven Kobos, President and Chief Executive of Excelerate.

“Qatar delivers approximately 10 percent of its current annual LNG production through Excelerate FSRUs and we are pleased to unlock further new demand in the markets where we operate,” Kobos explained.

“This agreement highlights our ability to secure critical and affordable LNG volumes for our customers with increasing natural gas demand, while driving stable, long-term economic uplift on our existing infrastructure,” he stated.

QatarEnergy President and CEO Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi said he was pleased to sign the Excelerate agreement focused on Bangladesh.

“This new agreement will further strengthen our relationship with Excelerate while also supporting the energy requirements of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and its stride towards greater economic development,” added Al-Kaabi.

PetroBangla agreement

Excelerate in the third-quarter of 2023 had signed a long-term SPA contract with PetroBangla.

Under that deal the Bangladeshi company has agreed to purchase between 850,000 tonnes and 1.0 MTPA LNG from Excelerate for that 15-year term.

Excelerate first opened the Bangladesh market to LNG in 2018 with the development of its integrated Moheshkhali LNG FSRU terminal.

In the years since, the company deployed a second FSRU terminal to the Bay of Bengal and has utilised its infrastructure position to win spot LNG cargos sales into Bangladesh.

Excelerate's two FSRUs in Bangladesh deliver around 25 percent of the country’s natural gas supply.

Leading European Union LNG import terminal owner and grid operator Enagás has signed an agreement in Madrid with Albania on helping the Balkan nation’s natural gas company AlbGaz develop its markets and infrastructure.

The Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama and Spain's Energy Minister Teresa Ribera attended the signing of the Enagás-AlbGaz agreement along with the Albanian Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Belinda Balluku.

The Balkan region is one of the most vulnerable in terms of the lack of energy diversity and security and the signing of this accord is seen as another step towards helping Albania develop its economy.

AlbGaz is the Albanian Transmission System Operator (TSO) and is working to modernize the gas system in the country.

The actual gas agreement was signed by the Chief Executive of Enagás Arturo Gonzalo and his AlbGaz counterpart Arber Avrami to collaborate in the development of gas infrastructure in Albania.

“This agreement lays the foundations to contribute to the security of energy supply, not only in Albania but also at the regional level, and to the decarbonization of its economy, displacing polluting fuels and also promoting renewable gases,” said a statement.

Partnership

Arturo Gonzalo pointed out that the agreement opened up relevant avenues for future collaboration between the Spanish and Albanian gas industries.

“Cooperation between European TSOs is key in the current context. The accord is aligned with the purpose of Enagás to contribute to security of supply and decarbonisation in Europe,” added Gonzalo.

Enagás said it was already cooperating with Albania through is 16 percent shareholding of the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) which connects Turkey with Italy through Greece and Albania.

AlbGaz CEO Avrami said his nation viewed Enagás as valuable partner.

“There are possibilities for cooperation in a series of projects that include the Vlora LNG import terminal in Albania and the Dumrea Underground Storage as well as small-scale LNG distribution,” added Avrami.

“ I am convinced that this cooperation will be an additional guarantee for the realization of these ambitious projects and the vision that foresees the transformation of Albania into a regional energy centre., he stated.

A proposal was made in July 2021 for Excelerate Energy of the US and US major ExxonMobil to start a feasibility study on developing an LNG import terminal at the Port of Vlora in southern Albania.

Under that accord, Excelerate would conduct a study to explore the potential of an integrated LNG-for-power solution for the Albanians.

This would include developing an LNG import terminal, converting or expanding the existing Vlora thermal power plant and establishing small-scale LNG distribution in Albania and for the surrounding Balkans region.

Excelerate Energy, the US LNG specialist and a market leader in floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs), saw its shares increase by 11.8 percent in its trading debut after raising $384 million in the biggest US initial public offering since January 2022.

Shares in Excelerate closed on April 13 at $26.85 per share, giving the company a market value of about $2.8 billion based on the outstanding shares listed.

Excelerate shares are now quoted on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “EE”.

Excelerate sold 16 million shares at the top of a marketed range of $21 to $24 per share in its IPO.

The share sale came at a time when FLNG project interest is increasing worldwide as nations try to underpin their energy security with fast-track import projects.

The company has pioneered over a dozen import ventures worldwide and has also led the way in ship-to-ship LNG transfers.

Excelerate, based in The Woodlands in Houston in Texas, is part of a privately held US energy group founded by George Kaiser, owner of the Bank of Oklahoma. Kaiser will continue to control the majority of the shares.

Developer

Excelerate developed the Bahia Blanca GasPort, South America’s first LNG import terminal in 2008, and has also operated GNL Escobar, an LNG import terminal along the Paraná River of Argentina, since 2011.

The business spans the globe, with regional offices in eight countries and operations in the US, Brazil, Argentina, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The Excelerate prospectus for the IPO informed potential shareholders that it was the largest provider of regasified LNG in Argentina and Bangladesh and one of the largest providers of regasified LNG in Brazil and Pakistan, while also operating the biggest FSRU in Brazil.

The Excelerate company has additionally started FSRU-led import ventures in the US and the Middle East.

Excelerate had net income of $41 million and revenue of $889M in 2021 compared with $33M of profits and $431M in revenues in the previous year.

Excelerate Energy of the US, the leading global floating storage and regasification unit developer, has reached an agreement to enable more liquefied natural gas imports to Brazil as the nation continues to cope with much reduced hydro-electric power because of drought.

Russia has confirmed that Pakistan had been offered liquefied natural gas supplies as Russian natural gas companies broaden their delivery capability with projects such as Novatek’s Arctic LNG expansion.

Excelerate Energy, the US pioneer of floating liquefied natural gas import terminals, has completed its 2,000th commercial ship-to-ship transfer of LNG worldwide after completing its latest operation in the Bay of Bengal off Bangladesh.