Eni started the gas introduction into Tango FLNG facility, Republic of Congo

Eni announces the introduction of gas into the Tango Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) facility moored in Congolese waters.

Gas introduction has been achieved in record time– only twelve months after the final investment decision. This is a key milestone for the Congo LNG project, which encompasses the adoption of new technologies and a strong synergy with existing producing assets. Following completion of the commissioning phase, Tango FLNG will produce its first LNG cargo by the first quarter of 2024, placing the Republic of Congo on the list of LNG-producing countries.

The Tango FLNG facility has a liquefaction capacity of about 1 billion cubic meters per year (BCMA) and is moored alongside the Excalibur Floating Storage Unit (FSU), using an innovative configuration called "split mooring," implemented here for the first time in a floating LNG terminal.

Congo LNG will enhance the gas resources of the Marine XII permit and achieve approximately 4.5 BCMA of plateau gas liquefaction capacity through phased development and with a target of zero routine gas flaring. A second FLNG facility with a capacity of about 3.5 BCMA is currently under construction and will begin production in 2025. The entire volume of LNG produced will be marketed by Eni.

Gastrade’s FSRU “ALEXANDROUPOLIS” arrived in Greece

Today, December 17th, 2023, the “ALEXANDROUPOLIS” entered the waters of the Thracian Sea of Greece. The floating, storage, and regasification unit “FSRU” sailed away from Singapore anchorage on November 26th and started her journey to her new home in Alexandroupolis, Greece after completing an almost 10-month conversion at the Seatrium shipyard. The FSRU’s arrival at its permanent berth largely marks the completion of construction of this flagship National and regional Project.

In the following days, the FSRU will be anchored through a spread 12-point mooring system. The FSRU will then be connected to the high-pressure subsea and onshore gas transmission pipeline, which, once operational, will deliver natural gas to the Greek Transmission System (“NNGTS”) and onwards to the final consumers in Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, North Macedonia, Serbia and further to Moldova and Ukraine to the East and Hungary and Slovakia to the West. The Terminal, upon completion of all testing activities, is planned to be commercially operational in the first quarter of 2024 and will have a maximum sustainable regasification capacity of 5.5 billion cubic meters a year.

The FSRU was named “ALEXANDROUPOLIS” in honor of the municipality and its citizens that embraced the Project from the beginning and will host the FSRU permanently in the Thracian Sea.

“Today, with the arrival of the first specially converted LNG Carrier of Gastrade, is for all of us an exceptional day”, highlights the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Company and Founding Shareholder Ms. Elmina Copelouzou.

“A day that signals the realization of the Floating Regasification Unit and paves the way to the commencement of the Alexandroupolis LNG project. A milestone for this borderland city which is set to become an energy hub for the entire Southeastern Europe” continues Ms. Copelouzou.

“Many contributed to reach this point today. We would like however to thank particularly the people and the authorities of Alexandroupolis who stood by us throughout these years. As a minimum recognition of their support, we named our FSRU “Alexandroupolis” ”.

“From my side, I would like to dedicate this day to my father, Dimitris Copelouzos, who can visualise now such an important project, that he envisioned and set on track 15 years ago, reaching the final stretch of its materialisation”, concludes Ms. Copelouzou.

“For Alexandroupolis, it is a major project that will boost the local economy and employment, but above all, it will redefine the city’s coordinates on the world map as a critical hub for the energy security of the entire Central and SE Europe” said the Managing Director of Gastrade Kostis Sifnaios. “At the same time, the Project will establish yet another important pillar of National Security for Thrace, since it is part of the international and European strategy for diversification and independence of energy sources and transport routes from the historical monopolies. For our country, it is a big step in consolidating and upgrading its leadership role in the wider northern region and demonstrates how energy can become a tool for prosperity, peace, and solidarity” adds Mr. Sifnaios.

The arrival of the FSRU “ALEXANDROUPOLIS” highlights a key milestone for the Project, for Greece, and for the wider region of Southeastern and Central Europe. The Terminal will be a new entry-point for natural gas, fostering regional cooperation, and enhancing security of supply. “This significant milestone has been achieved due to the cooperation and expertise of all the partners involved in the Project, the strong local support in Alexandroupolis and in Greece, and undoubtedly, the tenacious and hard work of the Gastrade team” concludes Mr. Sifnaios.

CIMC SOE wins regasification module order

Nantong CIMC Sinopacific Offshore & Engineering Co.,LTD.(hereinafter referred to as “CIME SOE”) held a regasification module signing ceremony with Wartsila in Qidong.

Miss Solveig, general manager of Wartsila Bil-gas & LNG、Frank Larsen, project manager of LNG Croatia、Marcin Cieslak, technical lead of LNG Croatia、 Miss Ingvild, project manager of CRD、 Zhu Jiajun, sales manager of Wartsila, Gao Wenbao, vice president of CIMC Enric and general manager of CIMC SOE, Shang Jinyan, Jiang Weifeng, assistant general manager and the main person in charge of the project attended the signing ceremony.

Witnessed by representatives of both sides, Gao Wenbao, vice president of CIMC Enric and general manager of CIMC SOE signed the contract of the regasification module construction with project manager Frank Larsen of Wartsila on site.

It is reported that the module is an extension of the regasification capability for LNG Croatia project, installed in front of the regasification module of the former FSRU. The whole structure is stainless steel, there are ultra-high pressure pipes and plated plastic pipes, and the module construction precision is very high. The project team planned in advance, predicted the difficulties of the project, made the corresponding plan display, and won the high recognition of customers.

After the signing ceremony, Gao Wenbao expressed his sincere gratitude to Wartsila for its trust, and said that it will use the existing experience of the CRSB project to complete the project and deliver it on time with a responsible attitude and high-quality and efficient professionalism on behalf of the company, and look forward to more cooperation opportunities in the future.

CIMC SOE, as a pioneer in domestic module construction, has successfully delivered more than 80 modules of various types such as regasification modules, FPU upper modules, electrical modules and deck house modules, including the first LNG regasification module in Asia. Among them, the global market share of LNG regasification module ranks first, and it has successfully completed the research and development project of similar major equipment localization of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

The signing of this project is the new regasification module contract signed after CIMC SOE has obtained several sets of regasification module projects, which fully proves the outstanding design and construction capability in the field of oil and gas modules of CIMC SOE, and can provide customers with various gas treatment solutions such as reliquefaction and regasfication, which is of great significance for the company to do better and expand the module market. It is believed that both sides will strive for excellence in the cooperation of expanding module projects and take it to a higher level.

Woodside and Mexico Pacific sign LNG supply agreement

Woodside has signed a sales and purchase agreement (SPA) with Mexico Pacific Limited (Mexico Pacific) to purchase 1.3 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa), equivalent to approximately 18 cargoes per year, of liquefied natural gas (LNG) for 20 years. 

LNG is expected to play a critical role in the energy transition and long-term demand is anticipated to remain strong. This agreement is consistent with Woodside’s strategic objective of building global scale and flexibility in its LNG portfolio. 

Woodside CEO Meg O’Neill said, “As we deliver on our strategy, we aim to complement Woodside’s produced LNG supply with third parties’ volumes, giving us greater scale and portfolio flexibility to serve our customers, while optimising our LNG trading activities. 

“This agreement with Mexico Pacific delivers a new source of LNG into our trading portfolio, expands our geographic diversification in the Pacific Basin and builds on our presence in Mexico. 

“Mexico Pacific’s Saguaro Energia LNG Project is located on the Pacific coast of Mexico, providing proximity to key markets in Asia.” 

Under the SPA, Woodside will purchase the LNG from the Saguaro Energia LNG Project, located in Puerto Libertad, Sonora, Mexico on a free-on-board basis with pricing linked to US gas indices. 

The SPA is subject to Mexico Pacific taking a final investment decision (FID) on the proposed third train at the Saguaro Energia LNG Project. The FID is expected in the first half of 2024 and commercial operations are targeted to commence in 2029. 

“We are delighted to welcome Woodside, one of the most established global LNG market participants, as a foundation customer of Train 3, further validating the value of west coast Mexican LNG,” said Sarah Bairstow, President of Mexico Pacific. “We look forward to continuing our collaborative relationship with Woodside to bring additional supply online to address critical energy security and energy transition needs.

Snam finalises the purchase of the 5 billion cubic metres floating regasification unit (FRSU) to be located in Ravenna from BW LNG

Following the signing on 6 July 2022, Snam and BW LNG have finalised the acquisition by Snam Group of 100% of the share capital of FSRU I Limited, which owns the Floating, Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) "BW Singapore", for a total consideration of approximately 400 million dollars (around 367 million euros).

The BW Singapore can operate both as an LNG carrier and as an FSRU. The ship was built in 2015 and has a storage capacity of about 170,000 cubic metres of liquefied natural gas and a regasification capacity of about 5 billion cubic metres per year.

To maximise its regasification capacity, the FSRU will be located off the coast of Ravenna, around 8 kilometres away from the Punta Marina area. The FSRU is expected to start operations in 2025, after concluding the related permitting and regulatory process and finalizing the necessary works for mooring and connecting it to the transportation network, which have already started.

Snam CEO Stefano Venier said: 

"By finalising the BW Singapore acquisition, Snam takes another important step towards ensuring energy security and diversification of Italy's energy supplies, in a challenging and constantly evolving global context. Together with the Golar Tundra, which started its operations in Piombino in July 2023, the two FSRUs will increase the country's total regasification capacity from the current 25% to around 40% of the overall natural gas demand”.



BW LNG CEO Yngvil Åsheim said: 

“We are delighted to collaborate with Snam to strengthen Italy’s energy security and diversify Europe’s gas infrastructure through the FSRU BW Singapore. We are also pleased to support Snam with all ship management and modification works necessary for allowing the vessel to start operations in Italian waters. At BW LNG, we are committed to the development of floating LNG infrastructure solutions, as the world moves towards a low carbon society and countries look for sustainable, affordable, and reliable energy.”

In the coming months, Snam will also start activities for contracting the LNG regasification capacity that will gradually become available with the FSRU operations start, expected in 2025.

Cheniere Announces Long-Term Integrated Production Marketing Agreement with ARC Resources

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (“Cheniere”) (NYSE American: LNG) and Cheniere Energy Partners, LP (“Cheniere Partners”) (NYSE American: CQP) announced today that Sabine Pass Liquefaction Stage V, LLC (“SPL Stage 5”) has entered into a long-term Integrated Production Marketing (“IPM”) gas supply agreement with ARC Resources U.S. Corp. (“ARC Resources”), a subsidiary of ARC Resources Ltd. (TSX: ARX), a leading natural gas producer in Canada.

Under the IPM agreement, ARC Resources has agreed to sell 140,000 MMBtu per day of natural gas to SPL Stage 5 for a term of 15 years, commencing with commercial operations of the first train (“Train 7”) of the Sabine Pass Liquefaction Expansion Project (“SPL Expansion Project”). SPL Stage 5 will pay ARC Resources an LNG-linked price for its gas, based upon the Dutch Title Transfer Facility (“TTF”) price, after deductions for a fixed regasification fee, fixed LNG shipping costs and a fixed liquefaction fee. The IPM agreement is subject to, among other things, a positive Final Investment Decision with respect to Train 7. The LNG associated with this gas supply, approximately 0.85 million tonnes per annum (“mtpa”), will be marketed by Cheniere Marketing International LLP (“Cheniere Marketing”, a subsidiary of Cheniere).

“This is the second long-term IPM agreement between Cheniere and ARC Resources, and further progresses the commercialization of the SPL Expansion Project. This agreement will enable Cheniere to deliver increased quantities of Canadian natural gas to Europe, where energy security has never been more important,” said Jack Fusco, Cheniere’s President and CEO. “We are pleased to build upon our existing long-term relationship with ARC Resources, and further demonstrate Cheniere’s ability to construct innovative solutions that help meet the needs of customers and counterparties along the LNG value chain while delivering value to our stakeholders.”

“Canadian natural gas can play a critical role in helping to meet growing global energy demand,” said Terry Anderson, President and Chief Executive Officer, ARC Resources. “Through this agreement, we are advancing our LNG strategy and delivering low-cost, low-emission natural gas to consuming regions in Europe – the first long-term arrangement of its kind for a Canadian producer. We are pleased to further our long-term partnership with Cheniere and bring more responsibly produced Canadian energy to the world.”

In addition to the IPM agreement announced today, Cheniere Marketing has entered into an LNG sale and purchase agreement (“SPA”) with OMV Gas Marketing and Trading GMBH (“OMV”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of OMV AG. Under the SPA, Cheniere Marketing will supply OMV with up to 12 LNG cargoes per year, or approximately 0.85 mtpa of LNG, at a TTF-linked price commencing in late 2029. The LNG will be sold to OMV on a delivered ex-ship (“DES”) basis at the Gate LNG Terminal in the Netherlands where OMV holds regasification capacity.

The SPL Expansion Project is being developed with a production capacity of up to approximately 20 mtpa of total LNG capacity, inclusive of estimated debottlenecking opportunities. In May 2023, certain subsidiaries of Cheniere Partners entered the pre-filing review process with respect to the SPL Expansion Project with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission under the National Environmental Policy Act.

Mexico Pacific Awards Sierra Madre Pipeline EPC Contract to GDI SICIM PIPELINES and BONATTI

Mexico Pacific, GDI Sicim Pipelines and Bonatti announced today they have executed the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (“EPC”) contract for the Sierra Madre pipeline project. The 500-mile Sierra Madre pipeline will be utilized as the primary natural gas supply path for the transportation of up to 2.8 Bcf/d natural gas from the U.S. border to the first phase of Mexico Pacific’s 15 million tonne per annum (“MTPA”) Saguaro Energia liquefied natural gas (“LNG”) export facility located in Puerto Libertad, Sonora, Mexico.

Under the lump-sum-turnkey EPC contracts, the GDI Sicim Pipelines and Bonatti joint venture will engineer, procure and construct the Sierra Madre pipeline with Bonatti’s scope extending to the required compressor stations.

“We are pleased to be partnering with GDI Sicim Pipelines and Bonatti. A team of best-in-class international pipeline contractors with proven track records of pipeline execution and delivery in Mexico” said Ivan Van der Walt, Chief Executive Officer of Mexico Pacific. “Execution of our pipeline EPC contracts represents yet another important inflection point for our project as we prepare to move into construction. We look forward to working with GDI Sicim Pipelines and Bonatti in delivering a project that will bring transformational value to Mexico and critically needed cleaner energy supply to global markets.”

“GDI Sicim Pipelines is very pleased to participate in this project and being part of this team. We are committed to the successful execution of the Sierra Madre Pipeline Project and will provide the best of our resources and experience to achieve this goal.”

“Bonatti is extremely proud to be part of this flagship project and to keep contributing to the development of Mexico’s energy infrastructure. We are committed to delivering this challenging project together with our partners.”

About Mexico Pacific
Mexico Pacific’s anchor project, the 15 MTPA Saguaro Energia LNG Facility, is the most advanced LNG development project on the West Coast of North America. The Saguaro Energia LNG Facility achieves significant cost and logistical advantages resulting in the lowest landed price of North American LNG into Asia by, leveraging low-cost natural gas sourced from the nearby Permian Basin, and a significantly shorter shipping route avoiding Panama Canal transit risk for Asian markets.