LNG

Petronas LNG has signed a head of agreement with Hokuriku Electric to negotiate the renewal of an LNG supply deal for up to 0.54 mtpa for a decade starting 2028. The HoA underscores Japan’s reliance on LNG for power generation.

Japanese shipbuilders are set to draw new investment as Tokyo looks to revive the sector, with industry groups backing a plan for roughly 350 billion yen in capital spending and a broader public-private fund of more than 1 trillion yen to double output by around 2035. The push also includes efforts to modernize yards and revive LNG carrier construction.

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz resumes, with 22 Japan-linked ships, including six large crude oil tankers and several LNG carriers, transited the strait to exit between July 7 and 9, transport minister Yasushi Kaneko said at a news conference in Tokyo. The number of Japan-flagged vessels in the Gulf has fallen from 45 to just four, with shipowners declining to comment on safety precautions for the crew.

LNG Canada passed a year of exports with feedgas near Phase 1 capacity. Across 106 loadings since the first sailing from LNG Canada since last June, South Korea took the largest single share, roughly one cargo in three, ahead of Japan at a quarter and China at just over a fifth.

Japan’s resale of US LNG to other countries in Asia – notably South Korea, China and India – has generated emissions equivalent to roughly 17 coal plants a single year, Zero Carbon Analytics’ (ZCA) latest report finds.

Australia's Offshore Alliance ​is seeking to extend industrial action through July 6, threatening to halt all loadings at the Inpex-operated Ichthys LNG terminal. The strikes were initially expected to end on June 23.

Four LNG cargoes loaded from Sabine Pass LNG and Plaquemines LNG between 5 and 18 May initially signalled arrival in Tianjin, China. All four have since updated their declared destinations and are headed for South Korea and Japan instead.

Strike threats at Inpex-operated Ichthys LNG terminal from May 27 leave Japan most vulnerable, given its heavy reliance on contracted Australian supply. Around 70% of the LNG from the 9.3 mtpa Ichthys facility in Darwin is sold to Japanese offtakers, notably JERA, Kansai Electric, Kyushu Electric, Osaka Gas, Toho Gas, and Tokyo Gas.

Woodside is considering using its pre-emptive rights to veto Inpex’s farm-in to the Browse joint venture, as this move threatens to undermine feedgas supply for its North-West Shelf LNG export terminal. The deal is seen as a catalyst to shift Browse gas production away from the NWS LNG hub towards Inpex’s Ichthys LNG train in Darwin.

Australian LNG exporters are falling short on meeting Asian demand due to a lack of capacity that partially stems from an uncertain investment environment. “The first question from buyers always is, can you do more?...