Strike at Ichthys LNG to escalate from Thursday
Workers at Ichthys LNG have threatened to escalate strikes starting Thursday after wage negotiations with Inpex failed, raising the concerns over disruptions to roughly 10% of Australia's LNG exports.
Ichthys LNG strike risk leaves Japan most exposed
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.
Japanese utilities skip earnings guidance amid LNG price spike
Numerous Japanese utilities have withheld full-year earnings guidance as the Middle East conflict drives up LNG costs and clouds fuel supply. Bloomberg reported that Asian LNG prices have surged 70%, exemplifying how exposed Japan’s power sector remains to the global gas market.
Japanese trio to import e-LNG from Nebraska
Itochu, Osaka Gas and Toho Gas agreed to offtake e-LNG, or synthetic methane, from a plant developed by TotalEnergies and TES in Nebraska. The Japanese trio took a combined 33.3% stake in the Live Oak e-NG project and the related offtake will help the project reach FID in early 2027.
Osaka Gas eyes power investments, enhance LNG utilisation
Osaka Gas seeks to expand its oversees LNG business via US upstream and power plant investments through subsidiary Sabine Oil&Gas, with Texas shale gas production expected to reach 3.8 mt LNG-equivalent this fiscal year.
UK-based Wood chosen has lead consultant for final study before advance of Sunrise LNG project in Timor Sea
UK-based engineering firm Wood Plc has been chosen as lead consultant for an independent study of the next big potential Asia-Pacific LNG export project, the Greater Sunrise Development using gas resources from the Timor Sea.
TotalEnergies Brunei sale
June 14 (LNGJ) - TotalEnergies has agreed to sell its wholly-owned subsidiary in LNG producing nation Brunei to the Hibiscus Petroleum group, a Malaysian independent oil and gas player, for $259 million. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2024. The Sultanate of Brunei on the island of Borneo has been an LNG exporter since 1973 and the shareholders are the Brunei Government, Shell and Japan’s Mitsubishi Corp.
Present in Brunei since 1986, TotalEnergies operated the Maharaja Lela-Jamalulalam field, located in the offshore Block B. The field’s average production of natural gas and condensate was more than 28,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2009, though only 9,000 boe in 2023, and was delivered to the Brunei LNG export plant.
Japan’s largest LNG importer JERA to acquire stake in Australia’s Scarborough gas project operated by Woodside
JERA Co. Inc, Japan’s biggest liquefied natural gas importer and utility company, has agreed to acquire a large stake in the Scarborough gas field development offshore Western Australia from Woodside Energy for US$1.5 billion, giving a financial boost to the Pluto LNG expansion.
Woodside says merger discussions cease with Santos on creating US$58Bln Asia-Pacific LNG mega-company
Australia’s largest liquefied natural gas companies Woodside Energy and Santos have ended their merger discussions after failing to agree terms for creating a A$88 billion (US$58Bln) LNG mega-company in the Southern Hemisphere.
Japanese LNG players Inpex, Tokyo Gas and Osaka Gas join e-methane study with largest clean energy group in UAE
Inpex Corp., the Japanese liquefied natural gas producer and project developer, has joined with LNG importers Tokyo Gas and Osaka Gas to conduct a joint study on e-methane production with the largest clean energy company in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
