LNG

The Sultanate of Oman on the Arabian Peninsula said it signed up a Chinese liquefied natural gas buyer as its eighth new customer from the renewed production concession at Oman LNG.

Oman LNG has signed a binding term-sheet agreement with the China International and Chemical Company (Unipec) to supply 1 million tonnes per annum of LNG starting in 2025.

Unipec is the trading arm of major Chinese energy company China Petrochemical Corp., also known as Sinopec.

The Unipec agreement is similar to seven others it has signed since the turn of the year with customers in Europe and Asia, though the Chinese deal is just for four years while the others are for up to 10 years.

“Unipec has become the latest beneficiary of Omani LNG and marks the first LNG term deal with a Chinese firm and opens the doors for new opportunities in the Chinese market,” said a statement.

The agreement was signed in the capital Muscat between Hamed Al-Naamany, Chief Executive of Oman LNG, and Wang Yahang, General Manager of Unipec, in the presence of Salim Al-Aufi, Oman’s Minister of Energy and Minerals.

“The term-sheet signing with Unipec marks another milestone, where the Omani LNG will be creating new opportunities in China. Such an agreement will further enhance our position in the global energy industry and ensure we maintain our reputation as a reliable energy supplier worldwide,” said Al-Naamany.

Previous deals

The previous Omani LNG deal was signed at the end of January 2023 with Turkey’s state-owned Petroleum Pipeline Corp. (BOTAS) .

Oman will supply BOTAS with 1 MTPA of LNG for a 10-year period starting in 2025.

Similar deals to the BOTAS agreement have been signed with France’s TotalEnergies, Thailand’s oil and gas firm PTT, three Japanese buyers, JERA Co. Inc., Mitsui & Co. and Itochu Corp., and UK major Shell.

The new Oman LNG contracts are being lined up as the company plans to extend the lifespan of the liquefaction complex at Qalhat for another 10 years beyond its current concession to 2024.

The Omani LNG export facilities comprise the amalgamated three liquefaction Trains of Oman LNG and Qalhat LNG, which were merged in 2013 under the banner of Oman LNG.

The company has three liquefaction Trains at its site near Sur in the South Sharqiyah Governorate with a combined nameplate capacity of almost 11 MTPA.

The two-Train original Oman LNG plant has 7.1MT of capacity and the one-Train Qalhat plant has 3.6MT of capacity, though actual capacity is more after de-bottlenecking upgrades.

Oman had previous cut LNG output but the Ghazeer and Khazzan natural gas discoveries have in the last few years underpinned LNG production.

The gas has also opened the way for a proposed small-scale LNG plant to service the LNG bunkering market at the Port of Sohar.

That project envisages annual production capacity of 1 MTPA in Sohar, one of the largest industrial zones in the Middle East and well located for ships passing through the Gulf of Oman.

Oman LNG, the expanding producer on the Arabian Peninsula, has signed two more supply agreements with TotalEnergies and Thailand’s oil and gas firm PTT for a combined 1.6 million tonnes per annum of cargoes after also signing similar deals recently with three Japanese companies and Shell.

The company said it signed separate deals to supply the Thais and TotalEnergies each with 800,000 tonnes of LNG from 2025.

A statement said the binding term-sheet deals were signed by the Chief Executive of Oman LNG, Hamed Al-Naamany, with the Managing Director of PTT Global LNG, Ratchada Lertwanichwatanam, and with the TotalEnergies Senior Vice President of LNG Thomas Maurisse.

“The signing of the term-sheet agreements with PTT Global LNG and TotalEnergies enhance our efforts to further grow and strengthen our market positions including new business opportunities,” said Oman LNG’s Al-Naamany.

“Such a step complements our mission to add value to the local economy through increasing capacity, and strengthening collaborations with international firms,” he added.

The 10-year supply deal with TotalEnergies is scheduled to begin in 2025, while Thailand’s shipments begin a year later in 2026.

Japan deals

Oman LNG last month signed similar deals with top Japanese electricity generator JERA, and trading houses Mitsui & Co and Itochu Corp, to supply a combined 2.35 million tonnes per year, starting in 2025, for up to 10 years.

JERA confirmed its deal on December 27 and it was in the form of a preliminary term sheet that could lead to a Sales and Purchase Agreement.

The deal for JERA is for up to 12 cargoes per year from 2025. JERA noted that LNG procurement competition had been intensifying and stable procurement of fuel in a timely manner was necessary to secure a stable supply of energy in Japan.

The Japanese deals were on a free-on-board (FOB) basis, using their own ships, which they would regard as more flexible.

Oman LNG signed a similar deal - making six in total in the past two months - with Shell International Trading for 800,000 tonnes per annum for 10 years from 2025.