LNG

The Japan Bank for International Cooperation has accorded and underwritten loans of more than $800M for a natural gas field, gas pipelines and power projects in Vietnam.

April 1 (LNGJ) - Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) confirmed the signing of a loan agreement amounting to up to US$390 million (JBIC portion) with Singapore- headquartered Trafigura Pte Ltd. The loan is co-financed with Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp., bringing the total co-financing amount to around US$560M.

   “Trafigura is a major supplier of resources including liquefied natural gas as a market leader in the global commodities industry. The loan is intended to provide the funds required for a Japanese utility company to import LNG from Trafigura,” said JBIC. “Amid the growing global demand for LNG and the increasing uncertainty over resource prices, the loan, which supports the Japanese utility company in procuring term LNG through Trafigura, will contribute toward securing a stable supply of LNG, which is an important energy resource for Japan,” added JBIC.

The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) has signed an agreement with Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC) to proceed with further discussions for financing under the bank’s decarbonisation programme as ADNOC and a subsidiary have also pledged to continue supplying LNG to the Japanese along with long-term crude oil supplies.

“ADNOC is a leading energy company wholly owned by the Emirate of Abu Dhabi with a clear intent to decarbonise its operations,” said JBIC.

“It has ambitions of achieving net zero emissions by 2045, promoting renewable energy, hydrogen and ammonia, carbon capture and storage (CCS), and other green energy initiatives,” explained JBIC in regard to the leading energy company in the United Arab Emirates.

“The heads of agreement is intended to aim at building a consensus in which JBIC will provide a credit line to ADNOC under ‘green operations’ to support projects related to decarbonisation and the energy transition implemented by ADNOC or its subsidiaries,” the state-owned Japanese bank added.

Carbon-capture and storage (CCS) is a technology that separates and captures CO2 that would otherwise become a greenhouse-gas and stores it in deep-water caverns or other geological formations.

ADNOC spin-off

ADNOC Gas, which was spun-off in March 2023 to become a separate company, is estimated to have the seventh-largest gas reserves globally and has signed supply agreements with Japanese companies.

The latest was signed in October 2023 with the trading subsidiary of Japan's power generation company Jera Co. Inc.

The multi-year agreement with Jera Global Markets, a utility-backed energy trader specialising in LNG and other fuels, builds on the energy partnership between the UAE and Japan.

The ADNOC gas subsidiary also signed a five-year LNG supply agreement with Japan Petroleum Exploration (JAPEX) in August 2023.

JBIC noted that in addition to supplying LNG to Japanese import terminals the UAE emirate of Abu Dhabi was also key and long-term supplier of oil to Japan.

“As a stable and important supplier of crude oil to Japan for more than 40 years, Abu Dhabi is a strategic partner and a very important ally for Japan's energy resources strategy,” said JBIC.

High potential

“In addition, Abu Dhabi has high potential in the sector of decarbonisation and energy transition as it has abundant resources for renewable energy and subterranean structures suitable for CCS,” JBIC explained.

“The credit line under the HOA aims to support ADNOC’s initiatives for decarbonisation and to create opportunities for collaboration between Japanese companies and ADNOC, and it is expected to contribute towards realising the decarbonised societies that Japan and Abu Dhabi are aiming for,” JBIC declared.

As Japan's policy-based financial institution, JBIC said it would continue to provide financial support for sustainable development efforts, including those for global environmental preservation, by drawing on its various financial facilities for structuring projects financially and by “performing its risk-assuming” function.

The Japan Bank for International Cooperation, the leading state-owned financial institution, has signed an additional loan deal amounting to 100 billion yen ($675 million) for JERA Co Inc., Japan's biggest LNG buyer and power generation company.

Santos, the operator of two Australian LNG plants and the largest stakeholder in the Papua New Guinea export facility, has signed a new memorandum of understanding  aimed at securing stable energy in various projects with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation.

Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy has just concluded a trade mission to Japan where he met executives of leading energy companies and utilities as well as government ministries about the Japanese companies procuring long-term Alaskan LNG supplies.

The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) said it helped JERA Co. Inc., the largest Japanese utility and LNG importer, to acquire a 27 percent stake in Aboitiz Power Corp. of the Philippines for $1.58 billion.

The Japan Bank for International Cooperation said the $14.4 billion financing and underwriting has now been finalized for the Mozambique LNG export project led by French energy major Total and involves over 30 international banks and financial institutions.

Osaka Gas Co. of Japan and Singapore-based AGP International Holdings have concluded a collaboration agreement on the development of natural gas infrastructure, including LNG facilities.

Japanese utility Osaka Gas and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) have decided to invest in AGP International Holdings of Singapore to help expand the city-gas and LNG markets in southeast Asia and India.