LNG

Aug 26 – German utility RWE has relinquished offshore wind licenses and reinvested about $900 million of the proceeds in a 16% in the Louisiana LNG project, led by the Australian energy major Woodside. For 2031, the Essen-based utility targets an adjusted EBITDA in the range of €9.2 to €10.0 billion.

The United States has launched what it calls an “economic D‑Day” against Iran, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent extending sanctions against nearly 60 Iran-linked entities and vessels, raising stakes for oil and LNG trade flows through the Strait of Hormuz.

The Qatari government has ordered ministries to cut their budgets by up to 30% and slash overseas aid after LNG revenues collapsed. The 2026 state budget had been set at $61 billion at the start of the year, but since then, Qatar’s LNG-dependent economy has been hit hard by war-related damage to its Ras Laffan LNG hub and persistent shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.

Aug 25 – Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) has placed an order with GTT of France to design and build the cryogenic cargo tanks for two new LNG carriers. The two 174,000 cbm LNG carriers will be built at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, using GTT’s Mark III Flex membrane containment system, with delivery of the two ships scheduled in first quarter of 2029.

Norway's energy minister Terje Aasland has insisted on the country’s sovereign rights to drill in the Barents Sea to sustain oil and LNG exports at current levels until 2035, even though the EU is debating a moratorium.

The collapse of US-Canada trade negotiations, followed by new US tariffs of up to 50% on a range of Canadian imports, could raise construction costs and make new Canadian LNG export projects harder to finance.

Cyprus-registered Premier Energy’s has committed to procure one LNG cargo of 1 million Megawatt-hours (MWh), equivalent to about 100 million cubic metres (MMcm) of natural gas, for delivery through Greece’s Alexandropoulos floating storage and regas unit (FSRU). The cargo is scheduled for April 2027.

Aug 24 – Japanese shipbuilders are expected 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.

Bladex has closed a US$125 million syndicated financing with a four-year tenor for Southern Energy S.A. (SESA), the consortium developing Argentina’s first LNG export project. The deal is mobilising capital in a bid to monetise Vaca Muerta gas.

First commercial shale gas from Australia’s Beetaloo Basin is on track to flow in September from Tamboran Resources’ Shenandoah South drilling site, unlocking one of the world’s largest undeveloped gas resources and potentially underpin new LNG export capacity.