To move away from a Russian supply monopoly, Poland's Gaz-System and Slovakia's Eustream will study a pipeline link joining LNG terminals in Poland and Croatia, Reuters reported April 4. “We want to have the business analysis ready this year and make further decisions on conducting a feasibility study next year,” Gaz-System spokeswoman Malgorzata Polkowska said. The proposed link, connecting the Swinoujscie LNG terminal with a terminal planned for construction on Croatia's northern Adriatic island of Krk, would transport between 2.5 billion and 5 billion cubic meters. “If everything goes as planned, the connection could start operating in 2017,” the spokeswoman said. The Swinoujscie terminal, being built by Gaz-System, is set to commence operations in 2014. The Croatian LNG terminal is being considered by a consortium of Germany's E.ON-Ruhrgas, Austria's OMV, France's Total and Slovenia's Geoplin. ...Full Article

Api Nova Energia, has received approval from the government for a proposed 200 million euro (US$280 million), four billion cubic meter (about three million tonnes of LNG) per year offshore terminal near Falconara Marittima, the country’s industry ministry said on July 12.  As planned, the floating unit would be located some 16 km offshore with a subsea pipeline linking the unit to land.  The Marche regional government, per a previous agreement with Api Nova Energia, has an option to acquire 30 percent in the project.  ...Full Article

An LNG cargo, loaded at Norway’s Hammerfest LNG terminal, has been dispatched to AES Corporation’s Andres LNG terminal in the Dominican Republic, argus media reported Nov. 17.  The 140,000 cubic meter Arctic Discoverer is the first ever cargo from the Snøhvit facility to be dispatched to the Dominican Republic and the first to arrive in Latin America in two years....Full Article

Excelerate Energy announced Dec. 22 that it has executed an agreement with Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority to develop and permit the Aguirre GasPort off the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The floating-LNG regasification facility, located approximately four miles offshore, will store approximately 150,900 liquid cubic meters (~65,000 tonnes) to supply the Aguirre power plant. The FSRU, subject to authorization from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, is expected to be commissioned in 2014....Full Article

In an effort to meet summer fuel demand, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) has purchased three spot LNG cargos: two from a “major gas trading company” and one from a “major LNG exporter,” Reuters reported Feb. 14. “In preparation for the next summer season... [we] concluded a contract for these consignment[s] in the spot market, in addition to the consignments that have previously been agreed to between the KPC with Shell and Vitol in long-term contracts,” said Jamal Al-Loughani, deputy marketing director at KPC. The cargos range from 2.77 to 3.47 billion cubic feet (~55,000 to ~69,000 tonnes). The first, expected to be delivered in April, will be used by KPC's Mina Ahmadi Refinery. Meanwhile, the Persian Gulf country hopes to increase natural gas production to nearly 4 billion cubic feet per day by 2030....Full Article

Turkey will receive a cargo from Hammerfest LNG, its first since 2010, Argus Media reported on Jan. 20. It is unclear, however, whether the 130,000-cubic-meter Gemmata will deliver the cargo to the Aliaga facility in the Aegean Sea or the Marmara facility near Istanbul. ...Full Article

Management teams from at least ten projects have announced plans to build a combined 60 million to 110 million tonnes of annual North American export capacity, including five on the West Coast, four on the Gulf Coast and one on the East Coast. Sixty million tonnes is equivalent to 13 percent of U.S. annual gas production. ...Full Article

Pakistan intends to import approximately 14.2 million cubic meters (500 million cubic feet) per day of natural gas from Qatar starting yearend 2012, Platts reported Jan. 11. Last year, Pakistan granted conditional licenses to Pakistan Gasport, Engro Corporation and Global Energy Infrastructure to build three LNG terminals collectively capable of importing 1.5 billion cubic feet (43 million cubic meters) per day....Full Article

Officials with the Valero  Aruba Refinery and the Government of Aruba announced Dec. 13 that they had signed a memorandum of understanding to address the delivery of  LNG to Aruba. The LNG is expected to help reduce utility costs and lower emissions....Full Article

PT Pertamina will play an integral part in Indonesia’s rising gas demand, vivanews.com reported April 25. Domestic gas demand is expected to climb to 4.5 billion cubic feet a day (~1.6 trillion cubic meters of LNG) by 2020 driven by increases in power generation, industry, fertilizer, transportation, and household consumption....Full Article

Argentina is planning to nationalize YPF, Reuters reported April 26. The move will likely mean that the company will end its importation of LNG, according to the report. Argentine Pres. Cristina Fernandez unveiled plans last week to retake the 51-percent stake in YPF owned by Repsol. The decision stems from “the need to reverse free-market thinking in [the] energy policy,” said Argentine Sen. Marcelo Fuentes. Argentina has accused Repsol of underinvesting in domestic oil and gas fields and failing to keep pace of the economy's needs. ...Full Article

Iberdrola announced Jan. 6 that it will supply enough LNG to regasify 0.5 billion cubic meters annually to terminals in Spain for the next 10 years starting this year. A few days later on Jan. 10, the company announced it’s first delivery  under the contract to the Bilbao regasification terminal....Full Article

Excelerate Energy announced Aug. 29 that it has executed a 15-year time charter agreement to provide a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) to Petrobras. The vessel, designated by Petrobras as VT3, will deliver 20 million cubic meters (700 million cubic feet) of gas per day to the Southeast Region of Brazil....Full Article

Bahrain is involved in discussions with Russia’s Gazprom to import approximately 3 million tonnes (mt) of LNG a year through the country’s proposed LNG import terminal. "Originally we would start off with say 400 million cubic feet per day of gas and that could be slowly ramped up," said Bahrain’s minister of energy, Abdul Hussein bin Ali Mirza. The Persian Gulf nation was involved in talks with Qatar, but negotiations “have been postponed…since 2006.”  Construction of the US$350 million regasification terminal, expected to commence operations in 2015, is slated to be finished by the end of 2014, said Mirza.
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Sedigas, the Spanish gas association, Feb. 3 released a statement where it argues that the Spanish gas system is among the most diversified and secure in Europe. During 2010, the number of countries that supplied gas increased to 14, up from eight in 2008.  Among the new suppliers are Peru LNG, Yemen LNG and re-exported cargos from the United States....Full Article

Australia Pacific LNG announced on Feb. 25 that it has signed a heads of agreement with Sinopec, establishing non-binding commercial terms for the supply of up to 4.3 million tonnes per annum of LNG for 20 years and a 15 percent ownership interest in the project. ConocoPhillips’ and Origin Energy’s ownership will decline to 42.5 percent. ...Full Article

TORP Terminal, a limited partnership owned by TORP Technology, TORP LNG AS and Siemens Financial Services, received notice on Oct. 29 that the U.S. Maritime Administration issued a record of decision approving the company’s application for a license to own, construct and operate the Bienville Offshore Energy Terminal, an LNG regasification facility. It will be located in the Gulf of Mexico, 63 miles south of Dauphin Island, Alabama. The facility, which will use HiLoad Technology, is planned to have a peak sendout capacity of about 39 million cubic meters (1.4 billion cubic feet) per day. It is designed to accommodate any LNG carrier....Full Article

Tokyo Gas Co. Ltd. announced  March 5 that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Petrovietnam Gas (PV Gas) for cooperation on the development of the LNG value chain in Vietnam. The two companies will study a number of options for future projects in response to soaring demand for energy. Under the contract, Tokyo Gas will undertake the front end engineering design (FEED) of an LNG receiving terminal at the Thi Vai River. The LNG terminal will be equipped with a 100,000 liquid cubic meter tank, regasification units and a berth for LNG vessels, Tokyo Gas said. PV Gas is involved in discussions with Australia and Qatar to secure LNG imports for the terminal. Vietnam is expected to begin importing LNG from beginning in 2015. ...Full Article

The Oregon Court of Appeals has ruled to uphold a decision by the state Land Use Board of Appeals that ordered Clatsop County to reconsider how the shelved $650 million Bradwood Landing project, some 20 miles east of Astoria on the Columbia River, would have affected salmon and how it was classified as a small to medium sized project.  ...Full Article

BG Group has shelved their proposed 6-million-tonne-per-year Brindisi LNG plant in Southern Italy, Reuters reported March 6. Though it was backed by both the British and Italian governments, the project has been on hold because of opposition from local organizations, saying that the project would contribute to air and water pollution and hinder tourism. As a result, the environmental impact assessment for the project was denied . BG has spent 250 million euros (approximately US$331 million) on preliminary work for the plant....Full Article

Broadwater Energy, a joint venture (JV) of Shell and TransCanada Pipelines, will abandon its New York state regasification project, theday.com reported March 7. The company “has determined not to go forward with any aspect of the LNG project,” company Attorney Kenneth Wiseman wrote in a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). In 2008, Broadwater received the necessary approvals to construct and operate an LNG processing and supply facility in the middle of Long Island Sound. The JV had planned to moor a 1,200 foot long floating natural gas terminal in the sound, about nine miles off the coast of Wading River. The terminal would have received shipments of LNG from tankers in order to vaporize it and then send it to the New York area via a new 23 mile subsea pipeline. Although it received FERC approval, the project did not receive a key permit from New York state which led to its demise. The terminal would have supplied the region with about 1.3 billion cubic feet of natural gas daily....Full Article

The valve manufacturer believes that increasing regulation in the Baltic will help drive their business....Full Article

Investors in Filipino power projects are reluctant to take on the risks of LNG indexed to oil prices, The Manila Bulletin cautioned in an Aug. 2 article. ...Full Article

Calais LNG’s application to build a US$1 billion LNG terminal and associated pipeline has been dismissed, Mainbiz.com reported April 5. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) dismissed the company's application to build an import terminal near Calais, Maine, citing the developers “continued inability to secure either financing or a site for the project.” ...Full Article

On June 3, Calypso Pipeline (CUSP) applied for an extension from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for its permit to build a pipeline from a proposed Bahamian terminal to Florida. The company is still optimistic that Bahamian officials will approve plans to build an LNG import terminal at Freeport, Grand Bahama. It is seeking a two year extension to the final FERC authority received in July 2008....Full Article

Sempra Energy announced April 17 that it has signed agreements with Mitsubishi Corporation and Mitsui & Co., Ltd. to develop and construct an LNG export facility at the site of the Cameron LNG receiving terminal near Hackberry, Louisiana. The facility will be comprised of three liquefaction trains with export capability of 12 million tonnes annually for 20 years.  In January, this publication reported that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) granted Sempra the authorization to export up to 1.7 billion cubic feet per day (~12 million tonnes per year) for 20 years from the proposed liquefaction facility to countries with free-trade agreements (FTA). Sempra’s authorization to export LNG to countries with which the U.S. does not have a FTA is pending review by the DOE. Sempra does not anticipate any problems with authorization from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and, as a result, expects to enter into a turnkey contract for engineering and construction services for the project in 2013. The facility is scheduled to commence operation in late 2016....Full Article

Canaport LNG announced April 30 that it has started the planned BOG compression system upgrade on its regasification terminal in Saint John, Canada. As a result, operations at the New Brunswick terminal will be temporarily suspended. Normal operations at the facility should commence in June. Last month, this publication reported that the Canadian LNG terminal would perform upgrades to reduce the amount of boil-off gas released to its flaring tower....Full Article

Japan's Nagoya port recently unloaded an LNG cargo from Belgium via the 145,000 cubic meter (roughly 62,000 tonnes of LNG) Golar Maria , Reuters reported April 26, citing data from the ministry of France. The cargo from the Zeebrugge terminal marks the first that Japan has imported Belgium. Japan imported a record 83.2 million tonnes of LNG in the fiscal year that ended on March 31. Thus far, the Zeebrugge terminal has re-exported five cargos this year: two to Spain (one to Huelva and one to Cartagena), one to the Incheon in South Korea, one to Pecém in Brazil and the latest Japanese cargo....Full Article

Pertamina has been ordered to stop development of the 3-million-tonne-per-year (mt/y) Central Java LNG import project, LNG World News reported April 20, citing an article by Platts. “We are completing the front-end engineering design of the FSRU project, but the tender for the engineering, procurement and construction contract will be halted until it is clear whether we can go ahead with the project,” said Gunung Sardjono Hadi, president and director of Pertamina Gas. This is the second time that actions by Indonesia’s state-owned Enterprises Ministry have affected the country’s FSRU-based projects. Last month, this publication reported that PT Perusahaan Gas Negara (PGN) relocated it’s North Sumatran FSRU to Lampung as a result of the ministry’s actions. “The Lampung FSRU has led to the Central Java FSRU no longer being important, according to [the] state-owned…ministry,” Hadi said. ...Full Article

QatarGas announced Dec. 7 that it has signed a sales and purchase agreement to supply LNG to Chubu Electric Power Company and Shizuoka Gas Company. The QatarGas-1 project will supply a minimum of 0.2 million tonnes or approximately three cargos per year to the Chita, Kawagoe, Yokkaichi, Joetsu and Sodeshi receiving terminals in Japan beginning in 2016....Full Article

Bangladesh will accelerate natural gas exploration and development to supply fast-growing demand, The Financial Express reported. The South Asian country is considering LNG imports to bridge the shortfall. As oil-linked prices for LNG approach US$17/MMBtu, however, plans may not prove feasible. Last year, the government signed a memorandum of understanding with Qatar Petroleum to import some 4 million tonnes a year. ...Full Article

Construction of China’s first LNG facility near the northern city of Tianjin has started, Reuters reported March 1, citing comments from China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC). The 5.7 billion yuan (approximately US$900 million) floating, storage and regasification unit (FSRU) is expected to be able to receive 2.2 million tonnes (approximately 5.1 billion cubic meters) annually when it starts operation next year. Tianjin Port and Tianjin Gas Group Co. are also expected to invest in the FSRU. By 2015, CNOOC plans to transition the project to a traditional land-based receiving terminal. The land-based terminal will have an annual capacity of no less than 6 million tonnes. ...Full Article

A new LNG import facility will offer LNG for outside applications....Full Article

Electric power generators EPM, Colinversiones, and ISAGEN, are planning a US$350 million LNG regasification facility on Columbia’s Pacific Coast to take advantage of their close proximity to liquefaction plants in Peru, Platts reported March 5, citing a top industry official. The regulators are mulling the terminal in response to a December 2010 report by Colombia’s Regulatory Commission for Energy and Gas warning of an upcoming gas shortage. However, the country’s natural gas industry association, NaturGas, disagrees and claims that Colombia has at least seven years worth of gas, a timeline that could easily be extended as producers improve recovery methods. ...Full Article

Korea Gas Technology Corporation is interested in constructing a €4.97 billion (US$6.7 billion) LNG terminal in Constanta, Romania, Natural Gas Europe reported Nov. 24. The facility will be part of the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Romania Interconnector (AGRI) project. A second terminal is planned for Georgia....Full Article

On Jan. 20, Cheniere Energy submitted a draft resource report to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) detailing a three-tank bidirectional LNG terminal at Corpus Christi. The Corpus Christi LNG (CCL) facility will be situated on an 841-acre site next to the previously authorized import terminal. Utilizing ConocoPhillips' Optimized Cascade^SM process, it would liquefy approximately 2.1-billion-cubic-feet of natural gas per day into  approximately 15.6 million tonnes of LNG. It also would be capable of vaporizing approximately 400 million cubic feet of natural gas imports daily.  Construction is slated to commence in October 2013....Full Article

Crown Landing LLC will no long pursue the construction of the Crown Landing LNG import terminal along the Delaware River in New Jersey, delawareonline.com reported Jan. 6. In a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Hess Energy subsidiary said that due to a "significant increase in natural gas production from North American shale resources" and because of growth in "demand for LNG in the rest of the world" it is unlikely that the project would be able to sustain itself and, as such, "the company has elected to abandon development."...Full Article

Noble Energy's 5.0 and 8.0 trillion cubic feet discovery offshore Cyprus has increased interest in infrastructure improvements and additional services for an LNG export terminal at the Vasilikos area in the city of Larnaca. The proposed energy center was comprised of an onshore LNG import, storage and regasification terminal, which was slated to commence operations in 2013. However, gas finds in Cyprus and nearby Israel are likely to create surpluses for European markets.  Israel's crowded Mediterranean coastline offers only floating liquefaction plant alternatives. An onshore Cyprus plant may offer a more expansive and cheaper location for the export of both countries' gas....Full Article

Petronet LNG Ltd. reported an 18 percent increase in its first quarter profits, FOX Business reported April 24. Profit for the quarter that ended March 31 rose to INR2.45 billion (US$46.69 million) from INR2.07 billion (US$39.45 million) a year earlier. ...Full Article

The Chinese loading station has been completed, allowing it to send out truckloads of LNG....Full Article

Indian Oil Corp. (IOC) is looking for a foreign partner to participate in the proposed US$2 billion LNG terminal along the Bay of Bengal in Orissa, India, ICIS.com reported March 13, citing statements from a senior company official. ...Full Article

Disruptions are likely in the Boston area as a result of sabotage at Yemen’s Balhaf LNG plant, boston.com reported May 4. Power generators in the area depend on the imported LNG and, as a result, “we’ve taken…steps to manage and prepare the power grid…during the next few months,” said gas grid operator, ISO New England, spokeswoman Ellen Foley. ...Full Article

Dominion announced Oct. 3 that it has filed the second phase of a two-phase application with the U.S. Department of Energy to use its Cove Point facility to export LNG. In the first phase, Dominion was granted permission to export up to 7.82 million metric tonnes of LNG per year for 25 years to countries with a free-trade agreements with the U.S.. In the application’s second phase, the facility is seeking approval to export 7.82 million metric tonnes to any country with which the U.S. does not have a free-trade agreement. Dominion is planning to add one or more liquefaction trains to its import terminal. Construction could begin in 2014 with exports possible by the third quarter of 2017....Full Article

Kenya is planning a US$500 million LNG import terminal in Mombasa port, The East African reported April 28. Nairobi-based Kurrent Technologies and U.K.-based Mott MacDonald have been selected to complete the facility’s environmental impact assessment.  The terminal will likely include a 500 megawatt power plant....Full Article

According to ship-tracking data, the Methane Nile Eagle LNG-transport tanker was diverted to Chile, Reuters reported April 19. The vessel had been in route to BG Group’s Dragon LNG terminal in the U.K., but according to Waterborne LNG analysts, the ship was diverted to Quintero LNG in an effort to meet Chilean supply obligations amid reduced production from the Atlantic LNG plant in Trinidad. BG owns a share of both the Dragon and Quintero terminals....Full Article

The Dubai Supply Authority stated that Dubai is evaluating becoming a gas trading hub now that is has begun LNG imports.  Paul Mason, manager of the Dubai Supply Authority, stated that the country would like to become the hub for the region. ...Full Article

EDF Trading has signed a deal to secure additional import capacity at the 12-billion cubic meter (8.5 million tonne) per year Gas Access to Europe (GATE) LNG terminal in the Netherlands, Reuters reported Nov. 16, citing a statement by the French company. The two-year agreement will allow EDF to accept delivery of LNG cargos at the Rotterdam terminal before its wholly-owned Dunkirk LNG terminal is commissioned in 2014. GATE officially opened in September....Full Article

Pertamina plans to spend US$1.96 billion on LNG-related infrastructure by 2014, Platts reported Jan. 30, citing statements from an unnamed senior official. The bulk is earmarked for a proposed 3-million-tonne-per-year (mt/y) floating, storage and regasification unit (FSRU) in Central Java. ...Full Article

Gas Natural Fenosa announced April 26 that it will supply 2 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas to the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) over the next two years. Gas Natural will ship the gas from its contract portfolio to the EcoEléctrica regasification plant where it will be vaporized and then send to PREPA to supply the Costa Sur power plant. The plant is able to generate up to 990 megawatts of power. ...Full Article

Electricité de France and Gasfin Development SA, an independent developer of mid-scale LNG and natural gas projects, announced on Jan. 14 that they have signed an agreement for the development of a project to supply natural gas to EDFs power generation facilities in Martinique and Guadeloupe....Full Article

Electricité de France and Gasfin Development SA, an independent developer of mid-scale LNG and natural gas projects, announced on Jan. 14 that they have signed an agreement for the development of a project to supply natural gas to EDFs power generation facilities in Martinique and Guadeloupe....Full Article

On Sept. 1, Essent NV, Nederlandse Gasunie NV and Royal Vopak NV disclosed a decision to cancel construction of the proposed LNG regas terminal at Eemshaven, northern Netherlands. ...Full Article

Enagas will complete construction of its 7 billion cubic meter per year regasification plant in Gijón, Spain by the end of the year, Platts reported April 24. The terminal, however, will be put into “hibernation” and will not be brought online “until demand justifies it,” said Enagas CEO Antonio Llarden.  The delayed start will save Enagas approximately €67 million (roughly US$88 million) in regulated costs each year. Llarden estimates that the government will publish a new infrastructure plan in the second half of 2012, which might pave the way for second LNG terminal on the Canary Islands from 2015....Full Article

El Salvador LNG may soon become a reality, Platts reported March 8, citing a Cutuco Energy executive. "Once the Cutuco complex is completed it can form an anchor for a later growth of the sale of natural gas and the necessary infrastructure throughout the region," Vahid Sadeghpour, Cutuco’s commercial vice president said. The two tank, US$800 million terminal will be completed in phases. During the first, a 160,000 liquid cubic meter full-containment storage tank will be constructed. Another tank is expected to be constructed during a second phase. The terminal will have an unloading capacity of some 12,000 cubic meters per hour and sendout capacity of 125,000 cubic meters per hour, according to Cutuco. ...Full Article

Southeast LNG has canceled its plans to transport up to 5 million gallons (approximately 19,000 tonnes) of LNG from Elba Island to Southeast Georgia. The joint venture company, a partnership of AGL Resources and El Paso Corp., withdrew the application, originally submitted in August 2010, from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission over safety concerns from the community. When questioned about converting the import terminal to an export terminal, El Paso spokesman Bill Baerg said that he is unaware of any plans to do so. “I don’t see how something like that, from a business perspective, would be practical.” However, Baerg added, that Southern LNG, an El Paso subsidiary, has not ruled out implementing a truck-loading operation on the island in the future. ...Full Article

Management teams from at least ten projects have announced plans to build a combined 60 million to 110 million tonnes of annual North American export capacity, including five on the West Coast, four on the Gulf Coast and one on the East Coast. Sixty million tonnes is equivalent to 13 percent of U.S. annual gas production. ...Full Article

Indian Oil Corp. (IOC) is looking for a foreign partner to participate in the proposed US$2 billion LNG terminal along the Bay of Bengal in Orissa, India, ICIS.com reported March 13, citing statements from a senior company official. ...Full Article

In an effort to meet Argentina’s growing demand for energy, Enarsa will import more cargos of LNG in 2012, Platts reported Nov. 8, citing an unnamed source. “Consumption is expected to be more than we previously anticipated,” the source told the company. Enarsa had been planning to import 70 to 75 cargos of LNG next year, but due to rising demand, the company will increase that number. The cargos will be delivered to the Bahia Blanca and the Escobar regasification terminals....Full Article

Elering announced May 2 that, along with Tallinna Sadam, it has signed a letter of intent with Vopak LNG to start a feasibility study for the Tallinn LNG terminal to be developed at Muuga Harbour. ...Full Article

Operations at three of GDF Suez’s terminals in France have restarted, Reuters reported April 23. “We're restarting operations,” said head of the Elengy's CGT union, Reda Saker. “We will have better profit-sharing thanks to this new agreement.” ...Full Article

Shell and Vopak will measure market interest in the proposed Fos-sur-Mer LNG regas terminal in southern France later this year.  The JV partners intend to carry out market consultations prior to October, as stated in a May 13 release.  ...Full Article

Operations at three of GDF Suez’s terminals in France have restarted, Reuters reported April 23. “We're restarting operations,” said head of the Elengy's CGT union, Reda Saker. “We will have better profit-sharing thanks to this new agreement.” ...Full Article

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Abu Dhabi is planning to build a floating-LNG import terminal for vessels to dock on the east side of the Strait of Hormuz, Businessweek reported March 19, citing people with knowledge of the situation. Government owned Mubadala Development Company and International Petroleum Investment Co. will set up the terminal at the port of Fujairah on the Eastern seaboard of the United Arab Emirates. The regasified imports will then be sent to industrial users in the Emirates. The country already imports gas from Qatar through the Dolphin Gas pipeline, a joint venture of Mubadala Development (51 percent), France’s Total (24.5 percent) and U.S.-based Occidental Petroleum (24.5 percent). Fujairah LNG is expected to commence operations in 2014....Full Article

The Chinese city will build a city-wide network of L-CNG fueling stations to offer fuel to a variety of vehicles operating on natural gas. ...Full Article

Japan’s Futtsu LNG terminal will receive a cargo from Abu Dhabi next week, LNG World News reported March 22, citing port data. The Mraweh tanker is expected to dock at the receiving terminal in Chiba on March 29. A few weeks ago, on March 16 the import terminal received a spot cargo from Qatar on the Tembek vessel. ...Full Article

Sedigas, the Spanish gas association, Feb. 3 released a statement where it argues that the Spanish gas system is among the most diversified and secure in Europe. During 2010, the number of countries that supplied gas increased to 14, up from eight in 2008.  Among the new suppliers are Peru LNG, Yemen LNG and re-exported cargos from the United States....Full Article

Gangavaram Port is interested in obtaining up to a 10 percent equity stake in Petronet’s floating-LNG project near Visakhapatnam,  The Economic Times reported May 5. Petronet LNG has responded “positively” to our request for participating in the terminal, said the chairman and managing director of Gangavaram Port, DVS Raju. The Indian energy company will refer the matter to its board for approval. ...Full Article

Enagas will complete construction of its 7 billion cubic meter per year regasification plant in Gijón, Spain by the end of the year, Platts reported April 24. The terminal, however, will be put into “hibernation” and will not be brought online “until demand justifies it,” said Enagas CEO Antonio Llarden.  The delayed start will save Enagas approximately €67 million (roughly US$88 million) in regulated costs each year. Llarden estimates that the government will publish a new infrastructure plan in the second half of 2012, which might pave the way for second LNG terminal on the Canary Islands from 2015....Full Article

Netherlands-based Eneco announced that it has successfully unloaded its first delivery at the Gate LNG terminal. The company has contracted capacity at the Rotterdam terminal for four years. The cargo, delivered by the LNG Jupiter vessel, will help ensure the Dutch company will be able to inject approximately one-billion-cubic-meters of natural gas per year into the Dutch grid. The cargo was supplied by Shell from its global portfolio....Full Article

YPF will join its partner Repsol and Gas Sayago to inject momentum into the proposed floating LNG import terminal project at Montévideo, tradewindsnews.com reported Jan. 6. The 10,000-cubic-meter-a-day GNL del Plata facility is slated to be operational in 2014. Gas Sayago is a joint venture formed between Uruguay’s state power and oil companies UTE and ANCAP. ...Full Article

Golden Pass LNG is seeking authorization for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to begin LNG re-exports, LNG World News reported Jan. 20. When the facility was originally built, Golden Pass LNG said in a statement to the DOE, that the original design of the terminal incorporated LNG loading facilities. Therefore, no modification is necessary....Full Article

Reduced output from the country’s Isle of Grain and South Hook LNG terminals have resulted in increased gas prices across the United Kingdom, Reuters reported March 20. According to data from National Grid, the U.K.’s gas transmission operator, the market was under supplied by around 5 million cubic meters per day (cm/d). “Seems the market is moving on (the news), but flows are stable across Europe,” said a gas trader at the utility.
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Excelerate Energy (Excelerate) has won a contract in which the company will provide Petrobras with a 170,000 cubic meter floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), UpstreamOnline reported August 22.  The new FSRU, capable of sending out 20 million cubic meters of gas a day, will be moored at Petrobras’ Guanabara Bay LNG import facility. The online newspaper reports that two companies, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering and Samsung Heavy Industries, have held talks with Excelerate over the FSRU’s construction....Full Article

Excelerate Energy announced Aug. 29 that it has executed a 15-year time charter agreement to provide a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) to Petrobras. The vessel, designated by Petrobras as VT3, will deliver 20 million cubic meters (700 million cubic feet) of gas per day to the Southeast Region of Brazil....Full Article

China National Offshore Oil Corporation announced on Aug. 2 that its 2-million-tonne-per-year Hainan LNG import project has entered the construction phase. The company envisions starting operations in August 2014 with full capacity met in 2016, according to the announcement. ...Full Article

Excelerate Energy announced on April 13 its intention to retire its Gulf Gateway Deepwater Port in the Gulf of Mexico.  Presumably, the turret and buoy system will be relocated to a new market.  Gulf Gateway was the first deepwater LNG import facility in the world, delivering natural gas to the Gulf Coast region through two separate offshore pipeline systems.  However, in September 2008 Hurricane Ike caused significant damage to both pipelines.  ...Full Article

Management teams from at least ten projects have announced plans to build a combined 60 million to 110 million tonnes of annual North American export capacity, including five on the West Coast, four on the Gulf Coast and one on the East Coast. Sixty million tonnes is equivalent to 13 percent of U.S. annual gas production. ...Full Article

JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation announced Feb. 16 that it will receive three, 200,000-tonne cargos of LNG per year from Shell for 17 years. The fuel will be delivered from Shell’s global portfolio to two terminals: the Hachinohe LNG terminal in Hachinohe City, Aomori, Japan and the Mizushima LNG terminal in Mizushima City, Okayama, Japan from April 2015....Full Article

Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (ENGHC) has terminated its contract to pipe gas to Israel over alleged contract violations, Al Jazeera reported April 23. The decision comes as ENGHC claims that Israel has not paid in four months, a claim Yigal Palmor, Israeli foreign ministry spokesman, has denied. “It’s an unfortunate announcement, but in no way is it a surprise. It sums up a reality that has existed for more than a year,” Israeli Energy Minister Uzi Landau told Reuters. ...Full Article

China National Offshore Oil Corporation announced on Aug. 2 that its 2-million-tonne-per-year Hainan LNG import project has entered the construction phase. The company envisions starting operations in August 2014 with full capacity met in 2016, according to the announcement. ...Full Article

India has offered to send natural gas to Pakistan, India’s Economic Times reported March 21. Pakistan currently suffers a gas shortage of approximately 2.5 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d, 18 million tonnes per year) which, according to the State Bank of Pakistan, is likely to increase to roughly 3 bcf/d (21.6 million tonnes per year) by 2016. ...Full Article

Mumbai, India-based Hiranandani Group is discussing an LNG terminal at Dighi port in Maharashrta with South Korea-based Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co Ltd. The 8-million-tonne-per-year terminal will serve customers in the power and fertilizer sectors. Expected to be commissioned by 2017, it will be Maharashrta’s second receiving terminal after Dabhol....Full Article

Japan's Nagoya port recently unloaded an LNG cargo from Belgium via the 145,000 cubic meter (roughly 62,000 tonnes of LNG) Golar Maria , Reuters reported April 26, citing data from the ministry of France. The cargo from the Zeebrugge terminal marks the first that Japan has imported Belgium. Japan imported a record 83.2 million tonnes of LNG in the fiscal year that ended on March 31. Thus far, the Zeebrugge terminal has re-exported five cargos this year: two to Spain (one to Huelva and one to Cartagena), one to the Incheon in South Korea, one to Pecém in Brazil and the latest Japanese cargo....Full Article

Japan's Nagoya port recently unloaded an LNG cargo from Belgium via the 145,000 cubic meter (roughly 62,000 tonnes of LNG) Golar Maria , Reuters reported April 26, citing data from the ministry of France. The cargo from the Zeebrugge terminal marks the first that Japan has imported Belgium. Japan imported a record 83.2 million tonnes of LNG in the fiscal year that ended on March 31. Thus far, the Zeebrugge terminal has re-exported five cargos this year: two to Spain (one to Huelva and one to Cartagena), one to the Incheon in South Korea, one to Pecém in Brazil and the latest Japanese cargo....Full Article

Hokkaido Gas will receive the commissioning cargo for its Ishikari LNG terminal Oct. 7, Reuters reported April 5. Tokyo Gas will supply fuel to the terminal under a long-term deal. Last year, Tokyo Gas announced the signing of an 11-year agreement to sell 300,000 to 400,000 tonnes of LNG annually to the facility, which is in the port of Ishikari Bay in northern Japan. The project is expected to commence commercial operations by yearend. LNG will be sourced from Russia’s Sakhalin project....Full Article

Jamaica prefers to LNG for the country’s electricity production, the Jamaica Observer reported May 8. “There is really not much difference in terms of coal versus LNG, just that it is possible to bring on the LNG plant much faster. Coal plants take five years for construction, in addition to the many environmental issues,” said Valentine Fagan, managing director of the South Jamaica Power Company (SJPC). Observers, however, have suggested that coal would be a less-expensive option as LNG prices, on the heels of increased demand in Asia, begin to increase.  In addition, some indicate that Jamaica will encounter problems sourcing the fuel because of the country’s relatively low demand. ...Full Article

China National Offshore Oil Corporation's (CNOOC) proposal to build a CNY 8.8 billion (US$1.3 billion) 2 million tonnes per annum LNG terminal received approval from the Ministry of Environmental Protection....Full Article

QatarGas announced Dec. 7 that it has signed a sales and purchase agreement to supply LNG to Chubu Electric Power Company and Shizuoka Gas Company. The QatarGas-1 project will supply a minimum of 0.2 million tonnes or approximately three cargos per year to the Chita, Kawagoe, Yokkaichi, Joetsu and Sodeshi receiving terminals in Japan beginning in 2016....Full Article

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a notice on April 16 saying that they have vacated the order authorizing Jordan Cove Energy Project to construct and operate an LNG import terminal in Oregon. On Feb 29, Jordan Cove notified the FERC that it no longer intends to operate the import terminal and will instead pursue an export terminal at the site. Jordan Cove aims to export approximately 438 billion cubic feet (~9 million tonnes) of LNG per year for 30 years. The facility is slated to be ready for exports by the end of the third quarter of 2017....Full Article

India has offered to send natural gas to Pakistan, India’s Economic Times reported March 21. Pakistan currently suffers a gas shortage of approximately 2.5 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d, 18 million tonnes per year) which, according to the State Bank of Pakistan, is likely to increase to roughly 3 bcf/d (21.6 million tonnes per year) by 2016. ...Full Article

GDF Suez has announced that it will take a 26 percent stake in the development of a 3.5 million tonne per year floating-LNG project on India's east coast, Reuters reported April 17. The terminal is expected to be commissioned by the end of 2013. Demand for LNG in the south-Asian country is estimated to reach 50 million tonnes by 2017 from about 13.5 million tonnes currently. Andhra Pradesh Gas Distribution Corporation (APGDC), a joint venture of GAIL India and Andhra Pradesh Gas Infrastructure Corp., will own the remaining 74 percent of the regasification project. Source gas for the terminal would likely come from GDF’s global LNG portfolio....Full Article

Algeria has refused to export LNG to Pakistan if traders are involved, Pakistan’s The Express Tribune reported April 29. Algeria will only deal with “Pakistan on a government-to-government contract basis and no LNG traders must be involved in the deal,” said a senior official at Pakistan’s ministry of petroleum. In addition, the official said, “Algeria [only] exports [LNG] in a refrigerated form and Pakistan has no facility at Karachi to handle that.” However, the country is not giving up. We have extended an invitation to Algeria to “participate in joint ventures with exploration companies working here.”...Full Article

Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) will set up a 5 million tonne LNG terminal on 132 acres of land at Kattupalli near Chennai, India’s Business Standard reported March 22.  IOC “signed an agreement with TIDCO (Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation) for the LNG terminal, whereby we will be importing the LNG and selling it in domestic markets wherever it is required,” said company chairman and managing director, RS Butola.  A second phase may increase capacity at the Rs4,500 crore (US$878.2 million) terminal to 10 million tonnes. The project is expected to be complete in early 2016. "Since we will also be setting up a joint venture, TIDCO will be taking small equity stake, which is about 5 percent," Butola said.
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QatarGas announced Dec. 7 that it has signed a sales and purchase agreement to supply LNG to Chubu Electric Power Company and Shizuoka Gas Company. The QatarGas-1 project will supply a minimum of 0.2 million tonnes or approximately three cargos per year to the Chita, Kawagoe, Yokkaichi, Joetsu and Sodeshi receiving terminals in Japan beginning in 2016....Full Article

Petronas is interested in building an LNG terminal in Lumut, Perak, Malaysia with a yearly capacity of 3.8 million tonnes, Malaysia’s Business Times reported Dec. 2. "The plant in Lumut is our latest plan", said company president and CEO Datuk Shamsul Azhar. “Looking at the current gas demand, we have no choice but to build the ... terminal," Azhar said even though the terminal is still in the planning stages. LNG for the terminal is slated to come from Petronas’ own floating-LNG project offshore Sarawak. Petronas has set yearend 2015 as the deadline for commissioning....Full Article

Petronet LNG is looking for new sources for the supply of natural gas, The Hindu reported March 14. “What is important is that we should be able to get gas at competitive prices,” said Petronet CEO A.K. Balyan. ...Full Article

South Korea-based Hyundai Heavy Industries announced Jan. 5 today that, together with Linde AG of Germany, it has developed a concept for a floating-LNG plant. The facility, measuring approximately 355 meters in length, 70 meters in width and 35 meters in height, would be able to produce approximately 3.5 billion cubic meters a year of natural gas, liquefy it, and offload it directly onto an LNG carrier....Full Article

Shipbuilder Hyundai and industrial gasses and engineering company Linde have a new design for a floating LNG project....Full Article

Croatian pipeline operator Plinacro is advancing its proposed Krk LNG project, as the competing Adria LNG project suffers delays....Full Article

Pertamina has been ordered to stop development of the 3-million-tonne-per-year (mt/y) Central Java LNG import project, LNG World News reported April 20, citing an article by Platts. “We are completing the front-end engineering design of the FSRU project, but the tender for the engineering, procurement and construction contract will be halted until it is clear whether we can go ahead with the project,” said Gunung Sardjono Hadi, president and director of Pertamina Gas. This is the second time that actions by Indonesia’s state-owned Enterprises Ministry have affected the country’s FSRU-based projects. Last month, this publication reported that PT Perusahaan Gas Negara (PGN) relocated it’s North Sumatran FSRU to Lampung as a result of the ministry’s actions. “The Lampung FSRU has led to the Central Java FSRU no longer being important, according to [the] state-owned…ministry,” Hadi said. ...Full Article

POWEO, a French power and gas supplier, is expected to decide during a board meeting on Dec. 4 whether it will move ahead on its 9 billion cubic meter per year Le Havre-Antifer LNG terminal....Full Article

Liberty Natural Gas withdrew its application for an LNG port off the coast of Asbury Park, New Jersey, APP.com reported April 25. In an April 10 letter to the Federal Maritime Administration, lawyers for the company stated that it was no longer looking to build the offshore terminal.
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Petronas is interested in building an LNG terminal in Lumut, Perak, Malaysia with a yearly capacity of 3.8 million tonnes, Malaysia’s Business Times reported Dec. 2. "The plant in Lumut is our latest plan", said company president and CEO Datuk Shamsul Azhar. “Looking at the current gas demand, we have no choice but to build the ... terminal," Azhar said even though the terminal is still in the planning stages. LNG for the terminal is slated to come from Petronas’ own floating-LNG project offshore Sarawak. Petronas has set yearend 2015 as the deadline for commissioning....Full Article

On Sept. 1, Essent NV, Nederlandse Gasunie NV and Royal Vopak NV disclosed a decision to cancel construction of the proposed LNG regas terminal at Eemshaven, northern Netherlands. ...Full Article

Lithuania is considering LNG imports from Norway, Reuters reported April 13, citing the country’s energy ministry. During a visit to Oslo, Lithuania’s minister of energy, Arvydas Sekmokas, discussed importing LNG from Statoil’s Snohvit facility. "It would take just five days for an LNG carrier to travel from Norway to Klaipeda on the Baltic Sea," the minister said. The country has also been looking at importing fuel from sources in the United States and Qatar....Full Article

The European Investment Bank announced Dec. 1 that it will loan  €240 million (US$321.8 million) to IREN Energia S.p.A. for completion of the regasification plant offshore Livorno, Italy.  The 3.75-bilion-cubic-meter-per-year project, approximately 22 km (13.7 miles) off the central Italian coast, will pipe vaporized LNG to the Italian grid via a 30 km (18.6 mile) pipeline. ...Full Article

Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd. (MRPL) is involved in discussions with Shell, GAIL India Ltd. (GAIL) and Petronet LNG Ltd. (Petronet) over the construction of an LNG terminal in India, Fox Business reported Oct. 11. "Several issues like ownership, gas sourcing, investment, [and] the size of the terminal are under discussion," a senior MRPL executive said. "We need 2.8 million standard cubic meters of gas a day [for our refinery at Mangalore], and an investment into an LNG terminal would be the best way to secure supply," the executive said. ...Full Article

Mexico’s Manzanillo terminal will see its first cargo from Repsol's Camisea project in Peru, Platts reported March 9, citing statements from the state of Colima. “We've been told there are going to be a couple of shipments a month at this stage, and the first is due to arrive on March 16," said government spokesman Alejandro Carbajal. He added that the plant will be formally inaugurated on March 28. The 3.8-million-tonne-per-year regasification plant, built and owned by a consortium of Samsung and Mitsui (37.5 percent each) and Korea Gas (25 percent), will provide fuel to power plants in Manzanillo and Guadalajara....Full Article

Gasworld reported that a ceremony was held September 7 by Thailand’s energy minister, H.E. Pichai Naripthaphan, in order to inaugurate the 5 million mt/y Map Ta Phut LNG terminal. Commercial production of the terminal started September 6. Consisting of two 160,000 cu m tanks and a port that is able to accommodate vessels up to 264,000 cu m, the terminal, according to Prasert Bunsumpun, PTT LNG Co., Ltd. (PTT), will be expand to 10 million mt/y in order to accommodate the country's rising gas demands....Full Article

Philippines-based First Gen Corp. (First Gen) intends to find new sources on natural gas as its existing supply contracts are set to expire, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported Oct. 24. "If there’s more gas coming from Malampaya [gas field], then we won’t have to invest in importing LNG, but if there’s less gas coming from Malampaya then we have to import," said company president Francis Giles Puno. ...Full Article

Turkey will receive a cargo from Hammerfest LNG, its first since 2010, Argus Media reported on Jan. 20. It is unclear, however, whether the 130,000-cubic-meter Gemmata will deliver the cargo to the Aliaga facility in the Aegean Sea or the Marmara facility near Istanbul. ...Full Article

Pakistan’s Ministry of Finance and Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) have reservations about the proposed US$330 million Mashal LNG  project that would import approximately 800 million cubic feet (roughly 16,000 tonnes of LNG) a day. The project was cancelled in 2010 when GDF Suez was awarded a tender. Under the new plan, the terminal would be constructed to allow two companies, one from Turkey and one from South Korea, to import LNG  for 10 years.  ...Full Article

Chilean-based Gas Atacama intends to invest US$250 million to develop Chile’s third LNG regas terminal near Mejillones, BNAmericas reported Aug. 24....Full Article

Chile’s GasAtacama will build a US$300 million floating-LNG import terminal off the country’s northern coast, according to a Nov. 15 posting on ADFN.com, citing a story by the Chilean newspaper Diario Financiero. GasAtacama, a joint venture between private-equity fund Southern Cross and Empresa Nacional de Electricidad SA (Endesa), plans to moor its floating-terminal near the exiting GNL Mejillones regasification terminal. ...Full Article

Petronas Gas Bhd has started on the layout and design of its RM1 billion (US$321 million) Sabah regasification terminal in , Malaysia’s Business Times reported May 17. “We are now undergoing the plant and enduring design for the Lahad Datu regasification terminal and we target to complete the facilities and supply the gas to the power plant in Lahad Datu in 2015,” said company chairman Datul Anuar Ahmad.  Petronas will tender out the first facility’s package soon and expects to award the contracts in September. “The rest of the facilities,” Ahmad added, are expected to be “tender[ed] out early next year.”...Full Article

JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation announced Feb. 16 that it will receive three, 200,000-tonne cargos of LNG per year from Shell for 17 years. The fuel will be delivered from Shell’s global portfolio to two terminals: the Hachinohe LNG terminal in Hachinohe City, Aomori, Japan and the Mizushima LNG terminal in Mizushima City, Okayama, Japan from April 2015....Full Article

Operations at three of GDF Suez’s terminals in France have restarted, Reuters reported April 23. “We're restarting operations,” said head of the Elengy's CGT union, Reda Saker. “We will have better profit-sharing thanks to this new agreement.” ...Full Article

Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC) will commission the Rs3,500 crore (US$696.8 million) Mundra LNG terminal by 2016, The Hindu Business Line reported March 19, citing a top official at the company. ...Full Article

Icon Energy Limited announced on March 29 the signing of a binding LNG sales agreement with Shantou Sinogas Energy Co., Ltd in Shantou City, Guangdong Province in China to supply 40 million tonnes of LNG over a 20 year period....Full Article

Inpex will start work on the front-end engineering and design (FEED) for Abadi LNG, Indonesia Today.com reported Nov. 7. In their second quarter earnings call, Inpex president, Toshiaki Kitamura, announced that the 2.5-million-tonne-per-year floating production unit, initially approved by the Indonesian government in 2009 for startup in 2016, will be delayed for “about one year.” ...Full Article

The Neptune LNG terminal has received just four LNG shipments in two years, the Gloucester Times reported April 13. “We haven't had a shipment in a while, given the fact that the price of (natural) gas is so low,” Distrigas spokeswoman Carol Churchill said. Four shipments in two years aren't unusual as the Neptune terminal was meant to supplement the deliveries at the Mystic River terminal, said Churchill. The platform consists of two off-loading buoys that connect to an underwater pipe system.
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Texas-based Excelerate Energy is seeking a partner to market gas from its Gulf Gateway LNG terminal off the coast of Louisiana.  Barclays Capital markets LNG imported into its Northeast Gateway terminal near Boston. Excelerate would like to find a partner for the Gulf Gateway terminal, which has been idle since Hurricane Ike damaged pipelines in 2008....Full Article

Ukraine has invited Qatar to participate in the LNG-import terminal at Yuzhny. Qatar will build an €846 million (US$1.1 billion) LNG terminal in the Odessa region. The terminal will be built in two phases. During the first, a 5-billion-cubic-meter-a-year (bcm/y) floating, storage and regasification unit (FSRU) will be permanently moored along the Black Sea coast of Ukraine. A land-based terminal, to include three 180,000 cubic-meter tanks, will be built during the project's second phase. The LNG-terminal is slated to produce 10 bcm/y of fuel from 2018 for 25 years....Full Article

Japan will, for the first time since 2008, import LNG from Norway, Reuters reported August 25.  Expected to arrive at the Oita LNG Terminal in Southwestern Japan on September 10, the Arctic Discoverer is loaded with cargo from the Statoil’s Snohvit LNG terminal, an industry source told Reuters. Kyushu Electric Power Company (Kyushu Electric) is seeking alternative forms of energy to boost its non-nuclear power output in the wake of the Fukushima radiation crisis. ...Full Article

Last year, this publication reported that the Department of Energy granted a 30-year license to Jordan Cove to export domestically produced LNG to any nation with a U.S. free-trade agreement (FTA). ...Full Article

Energy World Corp. (EWC) will invest US$210 million to set up an LNG hub in the Philippines, inquirer.net reported March 22. The Pagbilao Grande Island, Quezon facility will be built in two phases. During the first, a 130,000-cubic-meter LNG storage tank, regasification facility, jetty and supporting infrastructure will be built. Phase two will bring the construction of an additional 130,000-cubic-meter LNG storage tank at an additional US$80 million. The Pagbilao facility will “pave the way to provide clean and green energy to the archipelago,” EWC said. The facility, located along international trade routes, will also help to increase the supply and availability of LNG to Asia through new markets. Construction of the facility has already commenced, and commercial operation is slated for 2013. The LNG terminal is also expected to have fueling facilities for natural gas vehicles. ...Full Article

Some $300 million has been budgeted for an LNG receiving and regas terminal and another $130 million for a gas-fired power station, Panama’s ministry of finance announced, according to a report on Dow Jones Newswires. The project site is located in Colon near the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal. The government estimates the project will require five years. ...Full Article

Api Nova Energia, has received approval from the government for a proposed 200 million euro (US$280 million), four billion cubic meter (about three million tonnes of LNG) per year offshore terminal near Falconara Marittima, the country’s industry ministry said on July 12.  As planned, the floating unit would be located some 16 km offshore with a subsea pipeline linking the unit to land.  The Marche regional government, per a previous agreement with Api Nova Energia, has an option to acquire 30 percent in the project.  ...Full Article

Japan's Nagoya port recently unloaded an LNG cargo from Belgium via the 145,000 cubic meter (roughly 62,000 tonnes of LNG) Golar Maria , Reuters reported April 26, citing data from the ministry of France. The cargo from the Zeebrugge terminal marks the first that Japan has imported Belgium. Japan imported a record 83.2 million tonnes of LNG in the fiscal year that ended on March 31. Thus far, the Zeebrugge terminal has re-exported five cargos this year: two to Spain (one to Huelva and one to Cartagena), one to the Incheon in South Korea, one to Pecém in Brazil and the latest Japanese cargo....Full Article

Malaysia-based Petronas would like to invite third parties to import LNG at its Melaka receiving terminal, Bernama reported Nov. 10. “We hope third parties such as power and utilities providers and other gas consumers would be encouraged to source for their own gas, said Datuk Anuar Ahmad, vice president of Petronas’ gas and power division. A local Malaysian company, Tenaga Nasional Bhd, is considering utilizing the terminal to import LNG to help fuel its power plants. The Melaka LNG terminal is designed to be capable of processing up to 14 million cubic meters of gas per day once operations begin in July 2012. ...Full Article

Tokyo Gas Co. Ltd. announced  March 5 that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Petrovietnam Gas (PV Gas) for cooperation on the development of the LNG value chain in Vietnam. The two companies will study a number of options for future projects in response to soaring demand for energy. Under the contract, Tokyo Gas will undertake the front end engineering design (FEED) of an LNG receiving terminal at the Thi Vai River. The LNG terminal will be equipped with a 100,000 liquid cubic meter tank, regasification units and a berth for LNG vessels, Tokyo Gas said. PV Gas is involved in discussions with Australia and Qatar to secure LNG imports for the terminal. Vietnam is expected to begin importing LNG from beginning in 2015. ...Full Article

Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC) will commission the Rs3,500 crore (US$696.8 million) Mundra LNG terminal by 2016, The Hindu Business Line reported March 19, citing a top official at the company. ...Full Article

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) has issued an Individual Environmental Resource Permit to build and operate the port and pipeline. Florida Governor Charlie Crist and the Florida Cabinet voted in November, 2010 to authorize issuance of a long- term easement on State owned submerged lands to accommodate the undersea pipeline. Port Dolphin received its federal Deepwater Port License in October 2009 and a certificate of public necessity and convenience from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in December 2009. ...Full Article

On Sept. 7, Hoegh LNG management reaffirmed plans to develop the Port Meridian LNG terminal at Morecambe Bay in the U.K.’s East Irish Sea, despite delays due to regulatory holdups. The final investment decision for the 3 to 6-billion-cubic-meter-per-year (290 to 580 million cubic feet per day) terminal could be pushed to yearend 2012....Full Article

On July 12, the proposed $3 billion Ruby natural gas pipeline, crossing from Wyoming to Oregon cleared one of its last regulatory hurdles when the U.S. Bureau of Land Management approved rights-of-way for the project. Construction is to begin soon, according to El Paso, the developer. The pipeline is intended to transport US and Canadian unconventional gas to U.S. West Coast markets, thereby eliminating the rationale for importing LNG into Oregon and Washington. The project could be the final blow to controversial LNG terminals proposed on the Columbia River east of Astoria and in Coos Bay. Earlier this month, El Paso Corp. began staging equipment and pipe sections for the construction of the pipeline....Full Article

Korea Gas Corp. (KOGAS) will import 36.5 million tonnes of LNG this year, Reuters reported Feb. 13. According to the Zeus database, KOGAS owns and operates three LNG import plants in South Korea; one at Incheon, Pyeong Taek  and Tong Yeong....Full Article

On Sept, 13, China Petroleum and Chemical Corp (Sinopec) began the construction of the 3 million metric ton per year Qingdao regas terminal in eastern Shandong province, which lies across the Yellow Sea from South Korea. ...Full Article

China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) will open the first natural gas fuel station in Lhasa, Tibet, China. Construction on the gas station, fed from the Qinghai LNG plant, began in March 2010. The station will be able to provide 30 million cubic meters of natural gas for the city, enough for one-third of Lhasa's population....Full Article

Enagas SA will pay up to US$352 million for BG Group’s 40 percent stake in the Quintero LNG terminal, The Wall Street Journal reported April 27. The sale will be split into two US$176-million transactions. Each is expected to be complete by year end. The Quintero terminal is equipped to provide Chilean markets with approximately 2.5 million tonnes of LNG per year....Full Article

Canada’s Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, said recently that natural gas deals between Canada and Russia could be called off because of the way Russia has conducted itself in Georgia. In particular, the concern is over the proposed Rabaska LNG terminal. Rabaska is planned to receive 100% of its gas supply by Gazprom’s proposed Shtokman LNG plant. ...Full Article

GAIL India had to suspend the offloading operations of the commissioning cargo for the Dabhol regasification terminal due to damage of the fenders on the jetty, Business Standard reported April 26. The Excelerate, which brought a cargo from Statoil's Hammerfest LNG plant, had offloaded only a small fraction when operations were suspended and the vessel relocated to deeper water. The fenders, which are used to absorb the impact of the vessel against the jetty, were subsequently repaired. ...Full Article

Reliance Industries Ltd. is reportedly interested in establishing a US$1.2 billion LNG terminal on the Indian coast to meet refinery and petrochemical gas needs....Full Article

DESFA SA has invited bids for the design and construction of a third storage tank at its Revithoussa LNG terminal facility near Athens, Bloomberg reported March 14. The €115 million (US$152.1 million), 95,000 cubic meter tank will increase the facility’s total LNG storage to 225,000 cubic meters, Desfa said. Additionally, the Greek company will begin upgrading the terminal’s port in order to accommodate vessels with a capacity of up to 260,000 cubic meters. Currently, the largest vessel the terminal can able to accommodate is 135,000 cubic meters. The upgrade is scheduled for completion in 2015....Full Article

Argentinean energy company Enarsa will issue a tender for at least 60 LNG cargos, Argus media reported Oct. 24. According to executives close to the deal, Enarsa will import the LNG during the winter months of May-September 2012. Approximately 75 percent will be delivered to the Bahia Blanca import terminal and the remainder to the new Escobar terminal outside Buenos Aires. Enarsa and YPF are discussing constructing an import terminal in Puerto Cuatreros. That terminal will be designed to except large 266,000 cubic meter Q-max tankers. A fourth terminal, to be located in the Gulf of San Matías, is in the works....Full Article

Petronas Gas Bhd has started on the layout and design of its RM1 billion (US$321 million) Sabah regasification terminal in , Malaysia’s Business Times reported May 17. “We are now undergoing the plant and enduring design for the Lahad Datu regasification terminal and we target to complete the facilities and supply the gas to the power plant in Lahad Datu in 2015,” said company chairman Datul Anuar Ahmad.  Petronas will tender out the first facility’s package soon and expects to award the contracts in September. “The rest of the facilities,” Ahmad added, are expected to be “tender[ed] out early next year.”...Full Article

PetroChina’s Jiangsu LNG terminal has begun operations, according to a Nov. 9 posting by China’s CapitalVue, citing a report by xinhuanet.com. The project will begin in phases. During the first, approximately 4.8 billion cubic meters of gas will be supplied to consumers in the Yangtze River Delta. In the second, project capacity will be increased to 8.7 billion cubic meters. Terminal owners intend to supply downstream users with up to 2.2 million tonnes of LNG per year....Full Article

Blackstone will invest US$2 billion in Cheniere Energy’s Sabine Pass liquefaction project, Canadian Business reported Feb. 27. The U.S.-based investment group will help fund construction of the liquefaction and export terminal. The project will be converted into a bidirectional facility. Cheniere proposes to begin exports in 2015; however, the company is waiting for final regulatory approvals and financing to begin construction. The goal is to build a plant capable of exporting an average 2.6 billion cubic feet of gas (51,300 tonnes of LNG) per day....Full Article

Saggas announced Dec. 12 that it has commissioned its fourth tank at its €535-million (US$696.8-million) Sagunto regasification plant on the Southeast Mediterranean coast of Spain. The tank will increase storage at the facility by approximately 33 percent to 600,000 liquid cubic meters. Furthermore, modifications have been made to the unloading bay to accommodate Q-Flex and Q-Max vessels, the company said....Full Article

Foster Wheeler AG announced March 12 that it has been awarded a front-end engineering design (FEED) contract by Complejo GNL del Este for the 160,000 cubic meter (~70,000 tonne) San Pedro de Marcoris receiving terminal in the Dominican Republic. The terminal will be designed with a send out capacity of 240 million cubic feet per day (mcf/d, 1.6 million tonne per year). In the future, the terminal may be expanded to support a send out capacity of up to 700 MMcf/d. Foster Wheeler is expected to complete the study in September. ...Full Article

Japan's recent 9-magnitude earthquake is not stopping the country from building the world's largest LNG tanks. Osaka Gas Co. (Osaka Gas) will start construction of the 230,000 liquid cubic meter tank in September 2012 at its Senuboku LNG terminal, Reuters reported August 30.  The tank will take 38 months to complete....Full Article

GDF Suez SA Chairman Gerard Mestrallet stated that China would represent a market for LNG development over the next decade. The agreement stipulates that initial shipments will begin in 2013. ...Full Article

In a letter to Shannon LNG dated August 10, Ireland’s Center for Energy Regulation discussed the controversial issue surrounding the subsea interconnectors that would connect the Shannon LNG project with Great Britain. Irish energy company, Shannon LNG, is planning a €600 million (US$840 million) LNG regasification terminal on Shannon Estuary.  The project, however, has halted due to extra fees that it may be forced to pay. Ireland’s CRE wants the project to pay €10m (US$14 million) a year to help subsidize the costs for gas interconnectors, which it will not use.  The company "does not support the changes being proposed because they create an overlay of ongoing regulatory uncertainty, they appear to be arbitrary, they are fundamentally anti-competitive, unjustified and possibly unlawful," said Martin Ryan, Shannon LNG’s commercial manager....Full Article

Helping to ease demand, the Shin Minato LNG terminal in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan will reopen after it was shut due to damage from the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, The Journal of Commerce reported Nov. 28. The Sendai import terminal will receive the recommissioning cargo from a supplier in Malaysia. The facility will initially operate at reduced capacity until full capacity is restored, which is expected to occur by May of 2012....Full Article

Initially expecting a ruling on July 19, Italian utility Enel received court approval on July 20 for its Sicilian Porto Empedocle terminal, estimated to cost some 850 million euro (US$1.2 billion) and capable of receiving some eight billion cubic meters (5.65 million tonnes) annually....Full Article

Gujarat State Petronet Limited (GSPL) is interested in setting up a 5-million-tonne-per-year LNG import terminal at Sikka on India’s West Coast, The Economic Times reported March 30. “GSPL is open to join hands with private players for LNG projects. We have already invited expressions of interest from upcoming LNG projects for equity participation and ensure terminal capacity,” an unnamed Gujarat government official said. However, the official refused to comment on the terminal directly. “It is premature to comment on future plans for Sikka before conducting feasibility studies.” The Sikka terminal is estimated to have a cost over Rs1,000 crore (US$197.4 million). Possible participants in the Sikka terminal include Reliance Industries and Essar....Full Article

National Grid announced that the Q-Max tanker, Bu Samra, berthed on April 20, the first Q-Max to arrive at Grain after construction of its second jetty.  Centrica has finalized a deal with QatarGas to deliver 2.4 million tonnes of LNG yearly via Grain.  ...Full Article

Spot prices for LNG have advanced to US$15.50 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) as some Japanese utilities have been topping up inventories ahead of peak summer demand, Reuters reported March 9. ...Full Article

Singapore’s Jurong Island terminal will be able to handle sufficient imports of LNG to cover all of the country’s power needs, Reuters reported March 5, citing a top energy regulator. Singapore depends on natural gas for around 80 percent of its power generation needs. ...Full Article

On July 12, the proposed $3 billion Ruby natural gas pipeline, crossing from Wyoming to Oregon cleared one of its last regulatory hurdles when the U.S. Bureau of Land Management approved rights-of-way for the project. Construction is to begin soon, according to El Paso, the developer. The pipeline is intended to transport US and Canadian unconventional gas to U.S. West Coast markets, thereby eliminating the rationale for importing LNG into Oregon and Washington. The project could be the final blow to controversial LNG terminals proposed on the Columbia River east of Astoria and in Coos Bay. Earlier this month, El Paso Corp. began staging equipment and pipe sections for the construction of the pipeline....Full Article

QatarGas announced Dec. 7 that it has signed a sales and purchase agreement to supply LNG to Chubu Electric Power Company and Shizuoka Gas Company. The QatarGas-1 project will supply a minimum of 0.2 million tonnes or approximately three cargos per year to the Chita, Kawagoe, Yokkaichi, Joetsu and Sodeshi receiving terminals in Japan beginning in 2016....Full Article

U.K.’s South Hook terminal will welcome the 266,000 cubic meter (114,646 tonne) Mozah LNG carrier on May 6, LNG World News reported May 1, citing data from the Milford Haven Port Authority....Full Article

The Polish LNG terminal will be able to load LNG tanker trucks for distribution to third parties....Full Article

To meet rising gas demand, the government of Karnataka, India is looking to enter into preliminary agreements with gas suppliers to fuel 2,800 megawatts of proposed power generation. ...Full Article

The Taiwanese government will build more natural gas-related infrastructure to handle growing power demand, Platts reported Oct. 10. "By 2030, the installed natural gas generating capacity will grow to 25,000 megawatts [25 GW]," Dr. Yen-Shiang Shih, deputy minister at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, said. In September, the government approved a plan by state-owned CPC Corp. to add three 160,000 liquid cubic meter storage tanks at its Taichung import terminal and boost send-out capacity to 5 million tonnes annually (mt/y) from 3 million currently.  Construction is slated begin in July 2012 with completion by the end of 2018....Full Article

Gail India will set up a natural-gas distribution network in the country,  the Deccan Chronicle reported May 12, citing statements from the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, India, Jayalalithaa Jayaram. Together with TIDCO, Gail will construct the 310-km (193-mile) pipe between Kochi and Bengaluru. The Rs1,000-crore (US$168 million) pipe will supply gas to nearby industrial units, vehicles and urban households. ...Full Article

PetroChina announced that it has begun construction of its 3.5 million tonnes per annum LNG terminal in Tangshan, Hebei province.  Completion of construction is envisioned by the end of 2013 with a second phase possibly increasing capacity by three million tonnes annually. The company’s other terminals in Rudong and Dalian are expected to start operations this year.  According to PetroChina, the LNG will be imported from Australia and Qatar, among other countries....Full Article

On July 12, the proposed $3 billion Ruby natural gas pipeline, crossing from Wyoming to Oregon cleared one of its last regulatory hurdles when the U.S. Bureau of Land Management approved rights-of-way for the project. Construction is to begin soon, according to El Paso, the developer. The pipeline is intended to transport US and Canadian unconventional gas to U.S. West Coast markets, thereby eliminating the rationale for importing LNG into Oregon and Washington. The project could be the final blow to controversial LNG terminals proposed on the Columbia River east of Astoria and in Coos Bay. Earlier this month, El Paso Corp. began staging equipment and pipe sections for the construction of the pipeline....Full Article

On Sept. 7, Hoegh LNG management reaffirmed plans to develop the Port Meridian LNG terminal at Morecambe Bay in the U.K.’s East Irish Sea, despite delays due to regulatory holdups. The final investment decision for the 3 to 6-billion-cubic-meter-per-year (290 to 580 million cubic feet per day) terminal could be pushed to yearend 2012....Full Article

Fortune Oil will join Tianjin Gas to supply LNG to Tianjin in Northern China, Upstream reported April 16. The joint venture will procure, import and supply LNG to the city’s gas supply and operation utility through the Tianjin LNG import terminal. Approximately 2.2 million tonnes of LNG will be received annually at a floating, storage a regasification vessel from 2013. From 2015, capacity at the terminal will be increased to 6 million tonnes per year. Fortune Oil will hold a 60 percent interest in the joint venture, while Tianjin Gas will hold the remaining 40 percent....Full Article

South Korea’s Incheon LNG terminal received an LNG cargo from Indonesia, LNG World News reported March 2. The 155,000 cubic meter Tangguh Sago reached the terminal on March 3....Full Article

BG Group management reported on Feb. 9 that its outlook for natural gas and LNG demand is strong. "Our LNG business is set fair with prospect of excellent profit momentum," the company said in its presentation. It plans to continue to invest about $11 billion annually in capital expenditures for the next two years.  In 2011, it spent $10.6 billion.  ...Full Article

On Nov. 28, 2007, 4Gas acquired Vista del Sol Terminal LP and Vista del Sol Pipeline LP from ExxonMobil simultaneously with the purchase of the 300-acre site for the project from DuPont. ...Full Article

Hess Corp. is targeting mid 2013 to make a final investment decision on its Equus gas field in the Carnarvon Basin offshore Western Australia, The Australian reported March 19. The company is involved in discussions with Chevron to supply their Wheatstone, Pluto or the North West Shelf LNG project from 2018. According to industry speculation, the Pluto project is the more likely. The Equus gas field is estimated to contain between one trillion and three trillion cubic feet....Full Article

Total has delivered the commissioning cargo to Nusantara Regas’s floating, storage and regasification unit (FSRU) in West Java, Platts reported April 26, citing comments from president, director and general manager of Total’s Indonesia unit, Elisabeth Proust. The LNG was transported by the 125,000 cubic meter Aquarius LNG tanker that left Bontang on April 25. The FSRU, capable of regasifying approximately 3 million tonnes annually, will supply gas to power plants in North Sumatra owned by Perusahaan Listrik Negara. Nusantara Regas is a joint venture of Pertamina (60 percent) and Perusahaan Gas Negara (40 percent).

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Chugoku Electric Power Co. Inc. is the first of the North West Shelf Venture’s original eight Japanese LNG customers to re-sign with the joint venture. North West Shelf Venture (NWSV) and have signed an unconditional and binding heads of agreement (HOA) for a 12-year contract starting in April 2009....Full Article

QatarGas announced Dec. 7 that it has signed a sales and purchase agreement to supply LNG to Chubu Electric Power Company and Shizuoka Gas Company. The QatarGas-1 project will supply a minimum of 0.2 million tonnes or approximately three cargos per year to the Chita, Kawagoe, Yokkaichi, Joetsu and Sodeshi receiving terminals in Japan beginning in 2016....Full Article

Taiwan’s CPC Corporation received a cargo of LNG, LNG World News reported May 1, citing data from Kaohsiung Port Authority. The 137,000 cubic meter (59,047 tonnes) Puteri Zamrud tanker docked at Yung-An terminal on May 2....Full Article

Japan's Nagoya port recently unloaded an LNG cargo from Belgium via the 145,000 cubic meter (roughly 62,000 tonnes of LNG) Golar Maria , Reuters reported April 26, citing data from the ministry of France. The cargo from the Zeebrugge terminal marks the first that Japan has imported Belgium. Japan imported a record 83.2 million tonnes of LNG in the fiscal year that ended on March 31. Thus far, the Zeebrugge terminal has re-exported five cargos this year: two to Spain (one to Huelva and one to Cartagena), one to the Incheon in South Korea, one to Pecém in Brazil and the latest Japanese cargo....Full Article

Planned maintenance at the Zeebruge LNG terminal will limit output, Reuters reported April 27, citing comments from Fluxys. The terminal is set to undergo maintenance from September 8 to 18, which will limit “send out [capacity] to 50 percent,” a terminal maintenance schedule showed. ...Full Article

China National Offshore Oil Corporation’s LNG receiving terminal in Ningbo is scheduled to receive its first cargo next year, interfax.cn reported Nov. 15.  The Ningbo terminal is located in the Yangtze River Delta Area of China’s East Coast. Construction of the 3-million-tonne-per-year Ningbo LNG terminal began in December 2009....Full Article

Shell will purchase a stake in a China National Offshore Oil Corp’s Zhoushan LNG project, Fox Business reported March 6, citing a source close to the matter. "We are very interested to explore new business opportunities in China, including Zhoushan,” confirmed a Shell spokesman. China is building a network of receiving terminals along its Eastern Coast and increasing imports via pipeline. The Zhejiang province terminal is expected to cost CNY7 billion (US$1.1 billion). ...Full Article

China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) started building its new 10.3 billion yuan (US$1.5 billion) 2.0 million tonnes per annum LNG project in Jieyang, in the southern Guangdong province....Full Article