LNG

Aug 17 - The Department of Energy (DoE) has approved American LNG Marketing to export LNG to nations that do not have Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with the U.S. American LNG can now export up to of 0.008 Bcf/d of natural gas from Hialeah, Florida, for the next 20 years. The LNG will be delivered in ISO containers and loaded onto container ships or RoRo carriers for export at the Port of Miami.

Governor Bill Walker wants a majority ownership in the Alaska LNG project, at least 51%, and is considering imposing a tax on gas reserves as leverage against the private developers.
A reserves tax is a property tax on the value of natural gas reserves in the reservoir.

ElectroGas of Malta has insisted that construction of the much-delayed Delimara LNG-to-power plant would be privately funded and not a public sector project. Controversy started after the Government intervened to guarantee €360 million of a €450 million bridge loan that ElectroGas took out with four banks.

National oil companies in China are desperately trying to renegotiate LNG purchase commitments from Australia after domestic demand continues to slump. Sinopec reportedly seeks new terms for deliveries from APLNG which will come onsteam shortly. The option of buying spot cargoes from the US has become rather unlikely.

For both 2016 and 2017, Egypt will face a supply-demand gap of around 6 mtpa, so importers need to have a second FSRU in place, Energy Aspects suggest. To meet the domestic supply shortfalls, Egypt will need additional regasification capacity and/or will need to start importing gas via pipeline from either Israel or Cyprus.

July 31- LNG Ltd has entered into a supplier alliance agreement (SAA) with Chart Industries, through its subsidiary, Chart Energy & Chemicals. The SAA provides for the design and manufacture of brazed aluminium heat exchangers (BAHX) and liquefaction cold boxes used in the OSMR LNG liquefaction design.

The continuous fall in commodity prices will see more LNG projects being scrapped, Deloitte Access Economics said, with the squeeze on project economics exacerbated by the glut of new supply from Australia coming to market over the next year.

Frontrunner for US LNG exports, Cheniere Energy, considers delivering cargoes to Central and Eastern Europe through a floating LNG import terminal in Croatia.

July 30 - Canada's Squamish First Nation has postponed a vote on the $1.6 billion Woodfibre LNG project that is located in its traditional territory, after issuing 25 conditions last month that it wants to be met. The nation claims its independent assessment is 'the first of its kind in British Columbia' because it is legally binding and Woodfibre LNG, FortisBC and the province have agreed to participate.

Petronet, India's largest LNG importer, has negotiated with Qatar's RasGas to defer deliveries of at least 20 cargoes as it wants a rate reduction to match the 60% drop in spot prices.