Liquefied Natural Gas Project News

The Biden administration is working closely with partner countries over sanctions on a Russian liquefied natural gas project in the Arctic as a January deadline looms on a wind down of transactions with the plant, a State Department spokesperson said on Wednesday.The U.S. imposed sanctions last week on the Arctic LNG-2 project in Russia as part of wide-ranging measures to punish Moscow for the war in Ukraine. The Office of Foreign Assets Control, part of the Treasury Department, also issued a general license that authorizes the wind down of transactions involving Arctic LNG-2, through Jan.

Chinese oil and gas techincal services company Jutal Offshore Oil Services has announced that the company has obtained a slew of new contracts with total value of RMB3.5bn ($490mln).The number of new contracts include large-scale core modules construction of Arctic LNG 2 natural gas project, wind turbine jacket construction, and other offshore engineering and services said the company engaged in the fabrication of oil and gas facilities and oil and gas processing skid equipment business."Site construction of some large-scale construction projects have been gradually commenced, of which the core modules construction project for an international natural gas petrochemical plant has been completed of a total of approximately 27% of the progress as per scheduled…

US liquefied natural gas (LNG) developer Venture Global LNG has signed a deal with investment firm Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners for a $1.3bn equity investment in the Calcasieu Pass LNG export facility.Calcasieu Pass  project is a 10 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) liquefied natural gas project in Cameron Parish, Louisiana. - giving the LNG project a major financial boost as construction starts. The facility is expected to begin supplying LNG to customers in 2022.This brings total committed capital to fund the construction of Calcasieu Pass and the continued development of Venture Global’s 20 MTPA Plaquemines LNG and 20 MTPA Delta LNG facilities to $2.2 billion.Venture Global LNG Co-CEO Mike Sabel stated…

Russia's Novatek said on Friday it had sold a 20 percent stake in its new liquefied natural gas project, Arctic LNG 2, to two Chinese companies on the same terms as a similar deal with France's Total.Novatek announced the sale on Thursday but did not provide financial details.Earlier this year, Total, a shareholder in Novatek itself and its Yamal LNG project, bought a 10 percent stake in Arctic LNG 2 project. (Reuters, Reporting by Maria Tsvetkova and Maria Grabar, Writing by Andrey Kuzmin, Editing by Louise Heavens)

Russian gas producer Novatek said on  that it had signed agreements with two Chinese companies to sell a combined 20 percent stake in its new liquefied natural gas project, Arctic LNG 2.Under the agreement, the Chinese firms -CNOOC and CNODC - will become shareholders in the Arctic LNG project with 10 percent each. Novatek gave no financial details in a statement announcing the agreements.According to a press release, Novatek  has signed a binding agreement to enter the Arctic LNG 2 project with China National Oil and Gas Exploration and Development Company Ltd (CNODC), a wholly owned subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC).The binding agreement…

Russian natural gas producer Novatek plans to open the third line of its Yamal liquefied natural gas project in December, ahead of schedule, Chief Executive Leonid Mikhelson said on Tuesday.Novatek's Yamal terminal has been ramping up LNG shipments faster than expected after loading its first cargo in December 2017, with two trains now running at capacity.(Reporting by Oksana Kobzeva; Writing by Polina Ivanova; Editing by Louise Heavens)

In the presence of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, and the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, Total has signed an agreement with Novatek outlining the terms upon which Total shall acquire a direct working interest of 10% in Arctic LNG 2, a giant liquefied natural gas project lead by Novatek on the Gydan Peninsula in the north of Siberia. Taking account of Total’s approximate 19% stake in Novatek and Novatek’s intention to retain 60% of the project, the Group's overall economic interest in this new LNG project will be approximately 21.5%. Should Novatek decide to reduce its participation below 60%, Total will have the possibility to increase its direct share up to 15%.

UK-based TechnipFMC has been awarded a front-end engineering design (FEED) contract by BP for the floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit for the Tortue/Ahmeyim Field Development, a major LNG (liquefied natural gas) project located offshore on the maritime border of Mauritania and Senegal. The agreement between the two companies provides a mechanism to allow a transition of the contract to an Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation (EPCI) contract at a later stage. TechnipFMC will work on defining the technology and equipment scope and brings expertise to deliver major projects, leveraging extensive experience with Chinese fabrication .

French oil giant Total held talks with Iranian officials about several projects in the country in 2016, notably a 10 million tonnes per year liquefied natural gas project (LNG), Reuters reported. It has signed an agreement with Iranian authorities for a 50 per cent stake  in Iran’s South Pars gas field project which will developed at an investment of $4 billion. Sources told Reuters in February that Total was in talks to buy a multi-billion dollar stake in Iran's partly-built LNG export facility. Total signed a preliminary deal for the South Pars project last year, becoming the first Western oil major to sign an energy agreement after the European Union and the United States eased sanctions against Iran.

International climate scientists are calling on the Canadian government to reject a proposed liquefied natural gas project by Petronas-backed Pacific NorthWest LNG in British Columbia, saying it would have dire environmental effects, according to a report in Canadian Press. Ninety academics from Canada, the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom released an open letter Monday saying the Pacific NorthWest LNG project would be one of the country’s largest greenhouse gas emitters, and if built, would undermine Canada’s climate change commitments. The $36-billion dollar plant backed by Malyasian state-owned energy giant Petronas is slated to be built south of Prince Rupert, B.C.

The first shipment of a ‘core kit’ for Russia’s Yamal LNG project has set sail for northern Russia from the Chinese port of Qingdao. China's first batch of two air cooled condensing modules of LNG project are the biggest and heaviest kits being used for the project. They are set to arrive at the construction site in late June, says China Central Television. Yamal is a liquefied natural gas project located deep in the Russian Arctic. It is expected to start operating next year. 85 percent of the liquefied natural gas will be transported to the Asia Pacific market. It is China's first export of LNG core modules, indicating that China has entered into the international high-end oil and gas equipment market.

Russia's Yamal LNG liquefied natural gas project is on track and will be profitable even with low oil and gas prices, Sberbank Chief Executive German Gref said on Tuesday.   "This is the most expensive project, (it) will completely change the gas economy of the country," he told President Vladimir Putin. (Reporting by Denis Dyomkin; writing by Vladimir Soldatkin)

British Columbia Finance Minister Mike de Jong has tabled a bill designed to spell out the rules for a proposed $45-billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry, placing the Liberal government’s pro-LNG agenda on a collision course with the NDP. The bill provides the legal authority for government to enable a project agreement with Pacific NorthWest LNG. “This is an opportunity for the public, for legislators to analyze and discuss the documents and the legislation that will breathe life into a whole new industry and whole era of opportunity in B.C.,” he said. B.C. Opposition NDP Leader John Horgan, however, said his party will be opposing the bill because it has flaws, stressing that the NDP is not against resource development.

Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line) has concluded time-charters for two new LNG carriers with Diamond Gas International, a Singapore affiliate of Mitsubishi Corporation. NYK also concluded a contract with MI LNG Company Limited for the construction of the LNG carriers, the company said in its press release. The ships will haul gas from the Cameron LNG (liquefied natural gas)  project in Louisiana in the US to Asia, primarily Japan. These new ships will be delivered in 2018 and assigned to transport LNG for the Cameron LNG Project in the U.S. state of Louisiana which Mitsubishi Corporation under the ship management by NYK. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has confirmed that it has won an order for two ‘Sayaringo STaGE,’ a next-generation LNG carriers, for delivery NYK Line.

The melting Arctic presents a geopolitical challenge and it is the last bit of unclaimed land left on our quickly heating globe. A report in the Worldcrunch analyses why China is suddenly so interested in the Arctic. China is now becoming more involved primarily because of issues related to climate change, shipping and natural resources. China will also play an important role in exploiting the region's resources. Norway's Foreign Affairs Minister Borge Brende says China's growing economic affairs and scientific community will demand that the country become increasingly involved in issues related to the Arctic. Another reason Asian countries are paying more attention to the Arctic is because more shipping lanes could open as ice disappears.

Exxon Mobil Corporation today announced estimated full-year 2014 earnings of $32.5 billion compared with $32.6 billion a year earlier, reflecting the strength of its integrated business model in a lower price environment. “ExxonMobil’s results illustrate the value of our proven business model that integrates upstream, downstream, and chemical businesses,” said Rex W. Tillerson, chairman and chief executive officer. ExxonMobil completed a record eight major Upstream projects during the year, including the Papua New Guinea liquefied natural gas project, and achieved its full-year plan to produce 4 million oil-equivalent barrels per day. Fourth quarter earnings were $6.6 billion, or $1.56 per diluted share, down from $8.4 billion in the year-ago quarter.

Shipping services that support Russia's attempts to extract oil from remote parts of the Arctic will run into difficulties as banks scale back energy financing due to Western sanctions, increasing transport costs for the frontier sector. Sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and European Union over Ukraine have targeted the delivery of oil technology, goods and services, aiming to make it impossible for Moscow to access new oil sources. The world's largest energy exporter, Russia relies on oil and gas exports for about half its federal budget.

As from the start of October 2014, KOTUG is assisting all LNG vessels at the Brunei LNG Terminal with three powerful Rotortugs. Brunei Shell Petroleum Company awarded KOTUG as its exclusive towage provider with a 24/7 operation, supported by local management. Three 80-ton-plus bollard pull strong tugs of the Rotor concept are in charge for the berthing and unberthing operations of LNG tankers, standby services during loading, oil spill response and firefighting duties. The Rotortugs: RT Champion, RT Leader and RT Tasman were recently mobilized from Europe to Asia.

According to a report from Bloomberg, BG Group Plc, the U.K.’s third largest oil and gas producer, said it will invest $15b in the Curtis liquefied natural gas project in Australia over the next four years, its single biggest investment. The project in Queensland state, which is scheduled to start fuel shipments in 2014, is among more than a dozen proposed LNG developments in Australia seeking to tap Asian demand for cleaner-burning fuel to curb emissions. (Source: Bloomberg)

Exxon Mobil plans to develop a floating liquefied natural gas project to develop the Scarborough field off the coast of Western Australia. Exxon, whose partner in the field is Melbourne-based BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP), expects to make a decision on whether to go ahead with the floating LNG venture in 2014 or 2015, with the project starting production in 2020 or 2021, reports Bloomberg. In Australia, Shell is developing the Prelude floating LNG vessel -- expected to be as long as the Empire State Building and weigh six times as much as the biggest aircraft carrier -- after costs for onshore LNG plants in the country surged. While Exxon’s floating LNG facility in the Carnarvon Basin off northwest Australia is expected to be about 495 meters (1,624 feet) long and 75 meters wide.

Intertek, a leading quality solutions provider to industries worldwide, has been awarded the dimensional control contract for INPEX Ichthys FPSO (Floating Production Storage Offloading) turret development. This contract calls for the assurance and verification of fabrication and integration of the FPSO turret. Intertek Surveying Services has been operating for over 25 years and is considered a global leader in dimensional control, laser scanning and precise surveying. Through its expert dimensional control surveyors, Intertek will support INPEX with audits during the fabrication and integration process to ensure first-time fit up. The Ichthys LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) project involves piping gas nearly 900 km from the Ichthys field off the north-west coast of Western Australia to Darwin…

Enclosure specialist Intertec is supplying high performance environmental protection cabinets for Shell’s Prelude floating liquefied natural gas project. Designed specifically for extended service life in hazardous areas, the shelters incorporate innovative semi-passive cooling technology and are some of the most stringently specified instrumentation protection solutions that Intertec has ever produced. Shell’s Prelude floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) project is setting new engineering records.

According to an August 26 report from Bloomberg, Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. and its rivals may end an eight-month dry spell with a slew of new orders after Australia approved the $42b Gorgon liquefied natural gas project. (Source: Bloomberg)