Latest News

Osaka Gas sees little impact from Freeport LNG's partial shutdown

Japan's Osaka Gas expects to see little influence on its balance of supply and demand for melted gas (LNG) from a partial shutdown of U.S. Freeport LNG's centers, the president of the city gas service provider stated on Wednesday.

Last week Freeport stated it shut the Train 2 liquefaction system at its Texas plant, while Train 1 would be taken down soon in expectation of completing examinations and any subsequent repair work at both units by May.

Our procurement volume from Freeport might fall slightly due to the issue, but we remain in a comfy position in terms of LNG procurement, thanks to the moderate winter conditions, President Masataka Fujiwara told an interview.

I don't see it as substantially impacting our supply and demand balance, he stated, including that he believed the mild winter season had actually left the majority of Japan's other purchasers with an excess of fuel.

Freeport LNG, the third most significant LNG export plant in the United States, supplies Osaka Gas with 2.32 million metric heaps of the super-chilled fuel each year.

Earlier this month, Osaka Gas revealed a new three-year company plan through March 2027, assigning a total financial investment of 560 billion yen ($ 3.7 billion) to development segments such as shale gas development, renewable energy and synthetic methane.

Osaka Gas, a significant LNG buyer, sees natural gas as a vital energy source throughout the energy transition.

Basically, we prepare to renew our long-lasting LNG contracts, though term length would depend upon conversations with suppliers, Fujiwara stated, noting the value of securing the fuel, especially if departments between the West and Russia limitation Japan's access to brand-new LNG originating from the Arctic area.

Fujiwara stated he hoped Japan would stress the value of stability in energy policy at the Japan-U.S. summit in April and prompted versus unexpected changes like halting shale gas exports.

U.S. President Joe Biden in January stopped briefly brand-new export permits for LNG jobs to study the impact of additional growth, drawing criticism from LNG companies.

We have a large investment in The United States and Canada and we desire our service to keep moving forward in a stable way, Fujiwara stated.