Tokyo Gas News

50 years of LNG imports in Japan

Japanese gas buyers marked the 50th anniversary since the first cargo of liquefied natural gas arrived in Japan, now the world’s biggest importer of the fuel.On November 4th, 1969, LNG was first imported to Japan. Tokyo Electric Power Company (now JERA Co., Inc.) and Tokyo Gas, through Mitsubishi Corporation acting as a buyer’s agent, started receiving LNG in 1969 from the Alaska LNG Project with Phillips Petroleum (now ConocoPhillips) as a seller.Demand for LNG and natural gas is expected to further increase globally, especially in the emerging countries.

Philippines Greenlights LNG Terminal Project

Philippine power producer First Gen Corp said on Friday it has learned that the Department of Energy has approved its application for a Notice to Proceed (NTP) for the construction of its FGEN Batangas LNG Terminal Project.First Gen, which operates four power plants with a combined capacity of 2,000 megawatts running on the Philippines' Malampaya natural gas, said it has yet to received a formal notice from the DOE on the issuance of NTP.First Gen, with Tokyo Gas Co Ltd as its LNG partner, is seeking to ensure availability of imported gas for its power plants ahead of Malampaya's depletion pos

Anadarko Nearing FID for Mozambique LNG

U.S. independent energy producer Anadarko moved closer to a final investment decision (FID) to build a giant liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Mozambique after signing up an Indian buyer for the gas and saying another deal was imminent.Anadarko and Exxon Mobil are expected to sanction two separate but neighboring LNG projects in Mozambique this year after finding large offshore gas deposits, turning the African nation into a major global gas exporter.The company said on…

INPEX Selects NAPA for LNG Carrier Fleet

Japan's largest oil and gas exploration and production company INPEX Corporation has installed ClassNK-NAPA GREEN for monitoring operations on three of its liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers.NAPA said that Inpex awarded a deal to the company for the provision of a solution for monitoring and follow-up of ship operations on two LNG carriers built to service the Ichthys project and one LNG carrier for Shell’s Prelude FLNG project.With the core motivation of accurately verifying the technical performance of these highly complex carriers…

Sempra Energy Signs New Mexican LNG Terminal

Sempra Energy, the US group that aims to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility near Ensenada, Mexico, to serve customers in Asia moved closer to becoming reality as the natural gas utilities holding company  announced agreements with three international firms.The San Diego-based company announced in a press release that  that its subsidiaries Infraestructura Energetica Nova  (IEnova) and Sempra LNG & Midstream have signed three Heads of Agreements (HOAs) with affiliates of Total, Mitsui & Co. and Tokyo Gas Co.

Philippines Short-lists Three Groups for LNG Terminal Project

The Philippines has short-listed three different groups to build and operate its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal and hopes to nominate one by November, its energy minister said on Tuesday.Short-listed companies were chosen from 18 groups that submitted proposals for the project, Alfonso Cusi told Reuters on the sidelines of the Singapore International Energy Week.They include state-owned Philippines National Oil Company (PNOC), which is seeking a partner for the project…

Japanese Firms Sign Deals to Buy from LNG Canada

Two Japanese companies have signed agreements to buy liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes from the LNG Canada project, Reuters reported.Toho Gas Co signed a basic agreement with a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corp to buy up to four cargoes or about 0.3 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of LNG from the project over 15 years starting 2024/25.Tokyo Gas Co signed a heads of agreement with a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corp to buy up to eight cargoes or about 0.6 million…

Pertamina Ends 'Unfeasible' LNG Terminal Project

Indonesia's state owned energy holding company, Pertamina, has decided not to go ahead with what would have been the country's second land-based receiving terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG), its chief executive said on Monday.Indonesia has forecast sharp increases in gas demand after 2020, but increases in domestic consumption of the super-cooled fuel have been hampered by an abundance of cheap coal and sluggish development of gas infrastructure."Today we are not going ahead…

Phoenix Petroleum, CNOOC Partner for LNG Terminal

Philippine fuel retailer Phoenix Petroleum said it had agreed to partner with a subsidiary of state-owned China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC) to explore building a receiving terminal for liquefied natural gas in the country.The Philippines is seeking investors to build a storage and distribution facility for imported LNG as it moves to replace its Malampaya gas reserves, expected to be depleted by 2024.Phoenix Petroleum, owned by a local businessman who helped bankroll President Rodrigo Duterte's 2016 election campaign…

Tokyo Gas Takes First LNG Cargo from Cove Point

Japan received its first shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) on Monday from Dominion Energy Inc's newly completed Cove Point export plant, the beginning of a jump in imports from the United States by the world's biggest buyer of the fuel.The docking of the tanker LNG Sakura at Tokyo Gas Co's Negishi terminal near Tokyo is another marker of shifting global energy flows as the United States ramps up exports of gas and oil from shale formations.The cargo is the first of 2.2 million tonnes of LNG a year Japanese companies are purchasing under long-term contracts from Cove Point in Maryland.

Gorgon LNG Faces Scrutiny on Delayed Carbon Capture Project

The state of Western Australia has ordered an inquiry into a delay in burying carbon dioxide emissions at Chevron Corp's Gorgon liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, which could lead to a change in conditions on the project.The state approved the $54-billion Gorgon project in 2009 on the condition that at least 80 percent of carbon dioxide released in its gas processing operations over a five-year rolling average period would be buried."It has become apparent there needs to be a clearly defined start point for the commencement of the five-year rolling average…

MOL Names Newbuilding LNG Carrier 'Energy Liberty'

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has announced that on October 16, a naming ceremony for a newbuilding LNG carrier, jointly owned by MOL and Tokyo LNG Tanker, was held at the Tsu Shipyard of Japan Marine United Corporation. Among the crowd of well-wishers on hand for the ceremony were Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd. President Michiaki Hirose, who gave the name Energy Liberty to the vessel, after which his wife cut the rope. The Energy Liberty will be the eighth LNG carrier owned and managed by Tokyo LNG Tanker. MOL will directly manage six of those vessels, including this newbuilding vessel.

NYK Joins Study for LNG Bunkering in Yokohama

NYK is participating in a study launched by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Tourism (MLIT) to explore the feasibility of LNG bunkering in Yokohama. This study is examining the technological and infrastructural requirements for establishment of an LNG bunkering hub at the port of Yokohama to supply LNG as fuel to ships. A kick-off meeting of the study’s steering committee was held on June 9 for the creation of a facility development plan by the end of the year.

Maiden Gorgon LNG Cargo Heads to Japan

The first shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Australian Chevron's monster $55 billion Gorgon Project has departed Barrow Island yesterday aboard the 2015-built LNG carrier Asia Excellence, US-based energy giant Chevron Corporation said. Chubu Electric Power, one of Chevron's foundation buyers for Gorgon LNG, will receive the cargo. Chevron, which started producing the fuel on Barrow Island earlier this month, had expected to make the first shipment last week. “Departure…

Chevron Mulls LNG Supplies to China

Energy giant Chevron has signed a preliminary agreement with China's ENN LNG Trading company to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) from its $54 billion Gorgon LNG project in Western Australia. Chevron plans to supply a unit of ENN Energy Holdings Ltd. with as much as 500,000 metric tons of LNG a year from Australia's largest gas project, Gorgon. It follows Chevron’s initial agreement in late December to sell as much as 1 million tons of LNG a year to China Huadian Green Energy Co.

NYK Gets Japan's First LNG-Fuelled Tug

NYK Line has taken delivery of Japan’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled tugboat from Keihin Dock. "The new tug, named Sakigake, was delivered by Keihin Dock Co. Ltd and is expected confirm the viability of LNG as a marine fuel and to help cultivate a new business field in the area of LNG as an environment-friendly marine fuel,” says NYK. Sakigake has been chartered to Wing Maritime Service Corporation from NYK, and will be operated mainly at the ports of Yokohama and Kawasaki.

Chevron, SK LNG Trading Ink Deal for LNG Supply

Chevron Corporation today announced its Australian subsidiaries have signed a binding Sales and Purchase Agreement (SPA) with SK LNG Trading Pte Ltd (SK). Under the SPA, SK LNG Trading, which is part of a leading industrial conglomerate in South Korea, will receive 4.15 million tons of LNG over a five-year period starting in 2017. During the time of this agreement, over 75 percent of Chevron’s equity LNG from Gorgon will be committed to customers in Asia. “This agreement is an important step in the commercialization of Chevron’s significant natural gas holdings in Australia…

Panama Canal Delegates Meet with Japanese Customers

A Panama Canal delegation headed by Administrator Jorge L. Quijano visited Japan to hold discussions with the Japan Shipowners’ Association (JSA) and the major Japanese shipping lines, as well as end customers such as Japanese car manufacturers and energy sector companies. “The Panama Canal strives to have face-to-face meetings with our customer base,” Quijano said. Japan is among the top five user nations of the Panama Canal, as a major importer of grains from the U.S. Gulf Coast and exporter of vehicles to the North American consumer market.

Australian Offshore LNG Project Chooses Intergraph Software

Intergraph® SmartPlant® Enterprise selected by operator, Inpex, to manage information for mega-project, Ichthys LNG. Inpex has implemented SmartPlant Enterprise solutions for the Ichthys LNG Project, including SmartPlant Enterprise for Owner Operators (SPO) as its information management system, SmartPlant 3D and SmartMarine® 3D (collectively known as Smart 3D), SmartPlant Instrumentation, SmartPlant P&ID and SmartPlant Electrical. The Ichthys LNG Project is a joint venture between Inpex and Total, Tokyo Gas and other participants.

Offshore DLG Chartered Out by Solstad Offshore

Substantial charter agreement for Solstad's offshore Derrick Lay Barge (DLB) "Norce Endeavour" by Australia's Leighton Contractors. DLB "Norce Endeavour" will work at the Gorgon LNG Jetty and Marine Structures on Barrow Island, Western
Australia. Solstad will also provide project management and engineering to support the DLB scope of works and
 operation from Solstad's offices in Singapore and Perth, Western Australia. The mobilisation of Norce Endeavour will start in October 2012 after completion of existing charter. The contract value is confidential between the parties.