LNG

New Fortress Energy said that after successfully producing LNG at its first floating LNG production unit offshore Altamira in the Gulf of Mexico the firm has now closed a $700 million loan for its second FLNG unit.

“Now operational, FLNG 1 expects to deliver its first cargo in August and enter full production thereafter,” said NFE.

The new loan will fully fund the construction of the FLNG II units,” added NFE.

This project will be developed in partnership with the Mexican state agency, the Federal Electricity Commission.

It will “utilize the extensive in-place terminal infrastructure onshore” in Altamira.

The new liquefaction unit will incorporate the same proprietary modular technology as the first Mexican project, from Atlanta-based Chart Industries.

This second Mexican project is scheduled to complete the construction phase in the first half of 2026.

“Our FLNG complex is advancing at a rapid pace as we have now produced LNG at our first unit, and fully financed our second,” said Wes Edens, Chairman and Chief Executive of NFE.

Project values

“These are large infrastructure projects that add considerable financial and operational value to our company and we are thrilled with the progress to date,” stated Edens.

NFE’s “Fast LNG” project comprises modular, midsize liquefaction technology with jack-up rigs to enable lower costs

The company’s other main assets comprise two LNG import terminals in Brazil, one at Santa Catarina in the south and a second at Barcarena in the state of Pará in the far northeast of Brazil.

New Fortress Energy, the US integrated LNG and power company that owns, operates or provides natural gas to 30 facilities in five countries, has signed an engineering contract to build a gas-fired power plant adjacent to its Barcarena LNG import terminal in Pará, the northeast Brazilian state.

New Fortress Energy Inc., the US developer of floating LNG production and import terminal projects, reported soaring annual revenues and net profits as its array of projects advanced.

New Fortress Energy Inc., the expanding LNG terminals, production, shipping and power assets owner, plans to hold a floating LNG investor day at the Kiewit Offshore Services shipyard near Corpus Christi in Texas.

New Fortress has chosen the energy subsidiary of Omaha, Nebraska-based construction giant Kiewit as its partner for the building of FLNG units on the US Gulf Coast and the presentation event will be held from 10:00 am Central Time on November 22.

“Specializing in the fabrication and integration of offshore projects, the 555-acre KOS facility is home to NFE’s ‘Fast LNG’ program and the ongoing conversion of marine infrastructure into floating liquefaction units,” explained NFE in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Wes Edens, Chairman and Chief Executive of NFE, said he looked forward to hosting the event at the Texas facility.

“We expect to achieve mechanical completion of our first FLNG unit in March 2023 and deploy FLNG 1 into operation by mid-year, with additional units to follow soon thereafter,” explained Edens.

Skilled workforce

“Utilizing a highly skilled workforce on the US Gulf Coast, we have developed an efficient and repeatable construction process - essentially an FLNG factory - that substantially reduces the cost and time to build incremental liquefaction capacity to meet the urgent needs of the global energy markets,” declared the NFE CEO.

New York-based NFE also recently signed an agreement with Mexico’s national energy company Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) to form a strategic partnership including a floating LNG project in the Gulf of Mexico.

The agreement involves the joint development of the Lakach deepwater natural gas field for Pemex to supply natural gas to Mexico’s onshore domestic market and for NFE to produce LNG for export to global markets.

The US company will produce the LNG using its “Fast LNG” vessels to be built at the Kiewit yard.

NFE’s “Fast LNG” pairs modular, midsize liquefaction technology with jack-up rigs or similar floating infrastructure to enable a lower cost and faster deployment schedules.

Louisiana FLNG

The US company is additionally involved in other FLNG ventures, including one offshore the US Gulf state of Louisiana and another offshore the Republic of Congo in West Africa.

NFE is additionally advancing LNG-for-power projects in nations like Mexico, Nicaragua and Brazil as well as in the Caribbean.

NFE also said recently that it had entered a joint venture valued at $2 billion with New York-based asset management firm Apollo relating to floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs) in the LNG sector and this opened up a long-term financing arrangement.

The July 2022 deal involves NFE selling LNG infrastructure vessels it owns to the newly formed joint company whereby 80 percent would be held by Apollo funds and 20 percent by NFE.

That transaction would create a global marine infrastructure platform underpinned by long-term contracts, benefitting from NFE's LNG downstream operations and development activities, as well as Apollo's leading investment and maritime experience.

LNG FSRUs

Outwith the Kiewit Offshore Services shipyard plans NFE has an existing fleet that came from its acquisition in 2021 of Golar LNG Partners and its assorted FSRUs and LNG carriers.

The 11-vessel portfolio of the venture consists of six FSRUs, two conventional LNG carriers and three floating storage units (FSUs).

As part of the Apollo transaction, NFE has agreed to charter 10 of the 11 of the vessels from the Apollo-controlled venture for a period of up to 20 years.

Apollo is a high-growth, global alternative asset management business focusing on select investment strategies.

New Fortress Energy Inc., the New York-based LNG-for-power project company, has signed two 20-year sale and purchase agreements with US company Venture Global, owner of the existing Calcasieu Pass LNG plant and developer of three other liquefaction and export projects in Louisiana.

New Fortress Energy Inc., the New York-based supplier of LNG for power to Latin America and Asia, has signed an accord with a subsidiary of Italy’s Eni in the Republic of Congo for the deployment of LNG production equipment off the coast of the West African nation for a period of 20 years.

NFE said it would set up its “Fast LNG” facility to produce up to 1.4 million tonnes per annum of LNG in the associated gas fields off the Congo.

The deal in the form of a preliminary Heads of Agreement provides a framework for negotiating a long-term tolling agreement between NFE and Eni.

NFE said that this would be for the full capacity of the facility and for the purchase by NFE of around 1.2 million gallons of LNG per day pursuant to a 20-year free-on-board (FOB) sales and purchase agreement.

The Republic of Congo associated gas from oil production was expected to start in the second quarter of 2023.

'Perfect partner'

“This landmark partnership is a major milestone for our ‘Fast LNG’ business. Eni is a world-class organization and the perfect partner for the first ‘Fast LNG’ unit,” said Wes Edens, Chairman and Chief Executive of NFE.

“With production beginning next year, we believe that this is just the first of many deployments of this game-changing technology around the world,” stated Edens.

“The customers at our downstream terminals need access to affordable, clean and reliable energy. Our portfolio of ‘Fast LNG’ facilities allows us to deploy offshore infrastructure more quickly and affordably, adds low-cost LNG to our existing portfolio and diversifies our business,” Edens explained.

NFE had previously signed a first African deal with the northwest African nation of Mauritania.

That NFE agreement was for the development of an energy hub, including natural gas, power and LNG, utilizing existing offshore gas reserves owned by Mauritania as well as neighbouring Senegal.

The NFE “Fast LNG” design pairs modular, midsize liquefaction technology with jack-up rigs or similar floating infrastructure to enable a much lower cost and faster deployment schedule than floating liquefaction vessels.

Floating storage

Under the NFE plan, a permanently moored floating storage unit (FSU) would serve as an LNG storage facility alongside the floating liquefaction infrastructure, which can be deployed anywhere where there is abundant and stranded natural gas.

NFE said the HOA with Congo is subject to the finalization and execution of definitive agreements and a set of conditions expected to be completed and satisfied by the end of March 2022.

The company is also in advanced discussions for the deployment of this technology in several other markets around the world, including offshore the US.

NFE is additionally continuing to advance LNG-for-power projects in nations like Mexico, Nicaragua and Brazil as well as in the Caribbean and in Sri Lanka in Asia.

The company executed a 15-year natural gas supply agreement in Brazil at the end of 2021.

That deal was with a subsidiary of Norsk Hydro ASA for the supply of natural gas to the Alunorte Alumina Refinery in the northern Brazilian state of Pará.

NFE said it was advancing two Brazilian projects, one in Barcarena for Norsk Hydro and a second in Santa Catarina in southern Brazil.

The company said it was also positioned to supply LNG through the Santa Catarina terminal for power plants with more than 400MW of capacity from the second quarter of 2022.

New Fortress Energy Inc., the US company with LNG-to-power projects in South America, the Caribbean and Sri Lanka in Asia, has executed a 15-year natural gas supply agreement in Brazil.

New Fortress signed the deal with a subsidiary of Norsk Hydro ASA for the supply of natural gas to the Alunorte Alumina Refinery in the northern Brazilian state of Pará.

New York-based New Fortress said it was advancing two Brazilian projects, one in Barcarena for Norsk Hydro and a second in Santa Catarina in southern Brazil.

The company said it was also positioned to supply LNG through the Santa Catarina terminal for power plants with more than 400 megawatts of capacity from the second quarter of 2022.

“The long-term partnership between Hydro and NFE will greatly benefit the state of Pará and Barcarena community,” said Wes Edens, Chairman and Chief Executive of New Fortress.

“Supply of natural gas from NFE’s Barcarena LNG terminal will support Hydro in shifting Alunorte to cleaner fuels and will significantly advance Brazil’s energy transition,” added Edens.

Under the GSA, New Fortress has agreed to supply Hydro with the equivalent to around 1 million gallons of LNG per day to the refinery from the company’s Barcarena LNG receiving and regasification facility.

Emissions targets

New Fortress said the conversion from oil-based fuel supply to natural gas will reduce the refinery’s annual carbon-dioxide emissions by an estimated 700,000 tonnes per annum and support Hydro's greenhouse-gas emissions reduction target.

“We are committed to invest in developing the world’s largest alumina refinery, and to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions,” said John Thuestad, Executive Vice President for Hydro Bauxite and Alumina.

“The fuel switch is a milestone in our sustainability strategy and an important demonstration of our commitment to support local development in Pará state,” added Thuestad.

When completed in 2022, New Fortress said that the Barcarena terminal was expected to be the sole point of LNG imports in the state of Pará and the North region of Brazil.

“The terminal will support industrial development and reduce emissions and pollution in the environmentally sensitive Amazon region by providing a cleaner, affordable and reliable alternative to oil-based fuels,” New Fortress explained.

In its Asian activities, New Fortress recently agreed to invest in West Coast Power Ltd , the owner of the 310-megawatts Yugadanavi Power Plant based in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo while also developing an LNG facility off the coast.

As part of that transaction, New Fortress will have gas supply rights to the Kerawalapitya Power Complex, where 310 MW of power is operational now and an additional 700 MW is scheduled to be built, of which 350 MW will be operational by 2023.

New Fortress Energy of the US has followed up its agreement to develop a floating LNG facility offshore the port of  Colombo in the Asian nation of Sri Lanka by signing an accord to jointly develop a 350 megawatts gas-fired power plant.

New Fortress Energy, the developer of liquefied natural gas and power projects in Latin America and the Caribbean with new LNG import projects in Nicaragua and Mexico, said the company entered into a temporary supply termination agreement with the LNG subsidiary of UK utility Centrica.