LNG

German utility Uniper, which has had to be bailed out by the German Government, said it expected the first floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) planned for the North Sea port of Wilhelmshaven to come on line before the year-end.

Woodside Energy, the operator of two LNG export plants in Western Australia, has shipped an LNG cargo to the Dutch Gate import terminal in Rotterdam on behalf of Germany’s Uniper Global Commodities.

Australian LNG plant operator Woodside Energy reported a more than 3.5-fold increase in third-quarter revenues, reflecting higher sales volumes and surging average realised prices in the portfolio.

Southwestern Energy Co. the second-largest US natural gas producer, has signed a deal with Uniper to supply the German utility with Responsibly Sourced Gas (RSG) to satisfy the Green and left-wing government in Germany while costing German consumers more for future LNG imports.

Southwestern holds 768,000 net acres in the Appalachian Basin of tghe northeast US and 257,000 net acres in the Haynesville Shale.

The Springs, Texas-based company finished certifying all its Appalachian production earlier in 2022 and expects its Haynesville assets in Louisiana to be certified by the end of 2022.

“Southwestern Energy is strategically positioned to supply the world’s growing energy demands with its responsibly sourced gas,” said Chief Executive Bill Way.

“We believe natural gas is foundational to a low carbon future, and that US natural gas in particular plays a vital role in supporting global energy supply and security,” added the CEO.

As part of the agreement, for which no financial details were released, Southwestern will supply Uniper with RSG for its US midstream gas portfolio that includes domestic distribution to downstream customers.

Analysts said that deals such as this appeared to guarantee that German consumers would pay the most in the European Union for LNG for gas-fired power.

The US company is able to transport the natural gas to US Gulf Coast facilities for liquefaction and export to global LNG markets, though at a premium.

RSG is a natural gas classification created for the Green era that is verified for low-emissions and can give a ready virtual signal as being “environmentally responsible” as the German Greens demand.

Anti-capitalist Greens

The Green coalition partners in the German government have always been opposed to LNG imports and its army of demonstrators have for several years blocked LNG projects in Germany until the Russian gas crisis left no alternative to imports.

Southwestern noted that the agreement represented the first RSG transaction for Uniper in the United States and its second in North America.

“Southwestern is strategically positioned to supply the world’s growing energy demands with its responsibly sourced gas,” said the US company.

“We believe natural gas is foundational to a low carbon future, and that US natural gas in particular plays a vital role in supporting global energy supply and security,” it added.

“This agreement further demonstrates SWN’s differentiated position to reliably deliver responsibly sourced gas both here at home and abroad,” explained CEO Way,

“We’re excited to announce this agreement with Uniper and pleased to provide a critically-needed and low carbon energy solution,” he stated.

Marc Merrill, President and CEO for Uniper in North America, said that transparency in energy production practices is a growing market interest, and agreements like this one are key to deploying responsibly sourced solutions for customers in the US and abroad.

“Southwestern Energy’s reputation as a first-mover in RSG makes it a valued supplier in assisting our customers achieve their critical supply objectives in a responsible manner,” added Merrill.

Australian liquefied natural gas plant operator Woodside Petroleum has agreed with German utility subsidiary Uniper Global Commodities to double the supply of LNG cargoes under a previous agreement signed with Düsseldorf-based energy and power company.

Nov 9 (LNGJ) - LNG Terminal Wilhelmshaven GmbH, the developer of a floating regasification facility on the German North Sea coast led by the utility company Uniper, said it was re-evaluating its plans. Uniper itself explained that this situation had been caused by the reluctance of market players to make binding bookings for import capacities in the current circumstances. Uniper CEO Andreas Schierenbeck said that LNG was a growth market and natural gas is playing a bigger part in ensuring security of supply and in decarbonizing the global energy system.

   “This is why Uniper is committed to ensuring a secure supply of LNG both now and in the future. But it's also clear that all considerations must meet the same strict economic criteria,” added the Uniper CEO. “We will now discuss all this in depth with those who, like me, consider the development of such an import terminal in Germany to be a fascinating idea and will continue to support it,” stated Schierenbeck.

Freeport LNG, the US export plant in Quintana Island in Texas, has despatched its 100th cargo after sending out its first shipment from the former import terminal just 14 months ago.

One of the three liquefaction Trains at the US Freeport LNG export plant at Quintana Island in Texas remained shut down on October 27 after a recent fire incident presumed to have been caused when a compressor tripped at the facility.

Pieridae Energy, the Canadian LNG plant developer with plans to export cargoes to Germany, has engaged leading energy engineer Bechtel to replace another US firm KBR and to review its export project in Nova Scotia and come up with a construction price.

Japanese shipping company Mitsui OSK Lines and a subsidiary of German utility Uniper signed a contract to build and charter an LNG floating storage and regasification unit for the planned import terminal at the German North Sea port of Wilhelmshaven.