LNG, SKEC MOU
Technology JV Gladstone CBM Project
Liquefied Natural Gas Ltd. 8/25/2008
The Directors of Liquefied Natural Gas Ltd. signed a Technology
Memorandum of Understanding with SK Engineering and Construction
(SKEC), in relation to the Company's "Optimized Single Mixed
Refrigerant" (OSMRTM) LNG processing technology (Australian Patent
Application No. 2007903701). The Agreement provides the framework
for SKEC and the Company to establish a technology joint venture, owned
50% each, to:
* Complete final design of OSMRTM process technology for inclusion in
Gladstone LNG Project front end engineering and design (FEED) package
undertaken by SKEC, under Engineering and Construction Service Contract
signed earlier this month.
* Licence the OSMRTM process technology to the Gladstone LNG Project
and provide a joint and several process guarantee.
* Collaborate in the pursuit of other opportunities to market and
commercialise (licence) the OSMRTM process technology.
* Collaborate in the development, marketing and commercialisation of
other LNG processing and related technology.
The Company's Managing Director, Maurice Brand, said that "the
Agreement was the result of a comprehensive review of the OSMRTM
process technology by SKEC and is a logical and complimentary extension
of the existing relationship between SKEC and the Company in relation
to the Gladstone LNG Project.
The Agreement lays
foundation for SKEC and the Company to collaborate on other LNG project
opportunities."
Representatives of SKEC were in Queensland this week to:
* Further the proposed engineering, procurement and construction (EPC)
consortium with Laing O'Rourke Australia Construction Pty Ltd (LOR). As
previously reported LOR and the Company signed a Pre-Construction
Services Agreement, dated 27 March 2008, primarily in relation to the
LNG storage tank selection and FEED. SKEC and LOR, under the
consortium, will merge their resources to provide the overall FEED,
detailed engineering and pre-requisite construction services for the
Gladstone LNG Project, through to the financial close;
* Sign the aforementioned Agreement; and
* Visit the Gladstone LNG Project site at Fisherman’s Landing, Port of
Gladstone, Queensland.
SKEC's Vice President, Yang-Kyoo Ju, said "SKEC is 100% committed to
the Gladstone LNG Project and excited at the opportunity to participate
in this leading edge LNG project. Not only is it likely to be the first
coal seam gas to LNG project in the world but with the application of
the OSMRTM process technology it has the potential to set new industry
benchmarks as to plant cost, efficiency and carbon emissions. SKEC
already has a successful working relationship with LOR and the SKEC-LOR
consortium provides the experience and competencies necessary to
deliver this world class LNG project," Yang-Kyoo Ju further said.
The execution of the Agreement represents another major
milestone for the Gladstone LNG Project in recent times; including:
Licence Agreement: Between Gladstone Ports Corporation Limited and
Gladstone LNG Pty Ltd, which:
* Allocates the front area at Fisherman’s Landing, Port of Gladstone,
Queensland, Australia for Gladstone LNG Project; and
* Provides the framework and target dates for the negotiation of a
number of Port Agreements such as lease arrangements, commercial port
user agreements, dredging and wharf modification and other relevant
services, subject to a number of pre-conditions, including GPC Board
and Shareholding Minister approvals.
Gas Supply: Arrow Energy Limited's July 31, 2008 announcement of a
major increase in its 2P gas reserves, including uncommitted gas
reserves available for the Gladstone LNG Project, and expectation of
another material increase in 2P gas reserves by the end of this year.
Engineering and Construction: Execution of an Engineering and
Construction Services Contract with SKEC and Pre-Construction Services
Agreement with LOR, who will now combine resources to provide the
overall FEED, detailed engineering and pre-requisite construction
services for the Gladstone LNG Project, with the intention of entering
into a bankable EPC contract as the Gladstone LNG Project moves from
the pre-construction phase to the construction phase.
Environmental Approvals: As announced earlier this month, the Company
submitted its Environmental Impact Statement to the Environmental
Protection Agency of Queensland. A significant step forward in the
environmental approvals process for the Gladstone LNG Project and is a
prerequisite to obtaining a number of licenses and approvals that the
Company will require in early 2009, to achieve financial close and
commence construction.
LNG Offtake: The Company has received detailed LNG offtake and Project
investment proposals from several interested LNG buyers. All
shortlisted LNG buyers are of a bankable credit standing and have
existing LNG purchasing and trading activities, together with access to
LNG ships. Final LNG buyer selection is expected during the September
2008 quarter.
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PetroChina to Buy
50% CNPC JV for $11.8B
by David Winning BEIJING (Dow Jones Newswires), August 25, 2008
PetroChina will wholly own CNPC
E&D, assets in more than 10 countries: Kazakhstan, Venezuela,
Algeria, Peru, Oman, Canada, Chad, Indonesia and
Ecuador.
PetroChina Co. has agreed to buy a 50% stake held by its parent
company, China National Petroleum Corp., in an international joint
venture in a deal worth $11.8 billion, a person familiar with the
situation said Monday. PetroChina favors issuing new shares on
the Shanghai Stock Exchange to finance the purchase of CNPC Exploration
and Development Co., but is worried about current weakness in the
market, the person said. PetroChina's A-shares closed Friday at
CNY13.49, just above their lowest settlement of CNY13.31 on Aug. 18.
China's largest-listed oil producer is due to disclose its earnings
Wednesday for the first half of 2008.
PetroChina spokesman Mao Zefeng declined to comment when contacted by
Dow Jones Newswires, as did CNPC.
But the venture doesn't include CNPC's oil and natural gas assets in
Sudan, which are politically sensitive and have been the focus of
activists in the U.S. encouraging investors to sell out of
PetroChina. PetroChina has owned 50% of the joint venture since
June 2005 when it paid CNY20.74 billion to CNPC in a move seen as
setting the stage for its overseas expansion. That deal is worth $3
billion at current exchange rates.
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Asia firms intensify
Indonesian LNG a high of
$20/million btu
OGJ.com Eric Watkins Senior Correspondent LOS ANGELES, Aug.
22
Asian oil and gas companies in China, Japan, and South Korea reportedly
are "intensifying" a race for Indonesian LNG. The Nikkei Business
Daily said that up until now, Japan has dominated the Indonesian LNG
export market, one of the largest in the world, importing about 70% of
the gas produced in the southeastern Asia nation. But the paper
warned that Japan appears to be losing its leading position, with
China, South Korea, and other Asian countries rapidly boosting their
LNG imports from Indonesia.
Indonesia now supplies 15 million tonnes/year of LNG to Japan, of which
contracts for 12 million tonnes/year face renewal in 2010-11.
Shipments to Japan are expected to be substantially pared to 2-3
million tonnes/year, with the price jump likely about 50% to
$15-16/million btu.
Japan must ensure a stable supply of LNG from Indonesia by securing gas
field exploration rights in the manner of Chinese and Western
companies. But the paper said Japan has fallen well behind them in
securing such rights.
Detailing competition from other Asian nations, the Nikkei said a South
Korean company has reached an agreement with Indonesia to import
additional LNG, while PetroChina Co. is set to land a stake in the D
Alpha development, Asia's biggest gas field. Citing information
from the Indonesian government, the paper reported that Korea Gas Corp.
intends to import about 1 million tons of LNG produced at facilities
now under construction in Tangguh, Papua Province, on the island of New
Guinea.
Indonesia earlier planned to ship LNG from the Tangguh site to Sempra
LNG when production starts in 2010. But the paper said Korea Gas agreed
to pay a substantially higher price for the LNG, so the Indonesian
government has decided to switch the export destination to South Korea
from the US. The Nikkei said shipments initially will cost
$20/million btu, among the highest in the world, reflecting the more
than 100% surge in LNG prices over the past 2 years along with
skyrocketing crude oil prices, industry sources said. Japan's
power and gas utilities also negotiated with the Indonesian authorities
over the purchase of Tangguh LNG, but the talks appeared to have broken
down over price.
D Alpha gas field
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources said
PetroChina is seeking to become a partner of Indonesia's state-owned PT
Pertamina in developing the D Alpha gas field, the biggest in Asia. The
Chinese entity has already submitted an exploration plan to the
Indonesian government.
In addition to PetroChina, Royal Dutch Shell PLC and Malaysian national
oil company Petronas are also showing an interest in partnering with
Pertamina in exploring the gas field, which is estimated to have 46 tcf
of reserves.
The Nikkei report also noted that ExxonMobil Corp., which the
Indonesian government had once authorized to develop the field, appears
aiming to regain those rights.
In the 1990s, it said, the Indonesian government gave ExxonMobil a
majority stake in the field, but later cancelled it when the US firm
put development on hold, citing the huge costs involved due to the high
carbon dioxide content and tough underwater location off an isolated
island.
With the Indonesian government reportedly now saying that PetroChina
has offered the most attractive terms for the project, the Chinese
corporation appears to be the leading candidate to become Pertamina's
partner.
Still, the Nikkei report suggested that Chinese involvement in the D
Alpha project may not be a foregone conclusion.
It cited unnamed experts who believe it will be difficult for any firm
except a Western oil major to successfully develop the field due to the
need for sophisticated gas separation technology.
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StatoilHydro's Snoehvit
LNG Facility Down again
AFX News Limited 8/22/2008
Norwegian oil and gas producer StatoilHydro said on Friday its Snoehvit
liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in the Barents Sea has been shut
since Thursday.
Information about the expected duration of the outage was not
immediately available, a StatoilHydro spokesman said.
Snoehvit, the only LNG export facility in the Arctic, has been plagued
with problems since its start-up in late 2007.
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China Steps Up July LNG
Spot Buys, averaging $17 per mmbtu
by David Winning BEIJING (Dow Jones Newswires), August
22, 2008
China stepped up its purchases of liquefied natural gas from the spot
market in July, with three cargoes totaling over 185,000 metric tons
unloaded at southern ports, data from the General Administration of
Customs showed Friday. Cargoes originated from Egypt, Nigeria and
Algeria last month, bringing total spot volumes unloaded this year to
485,670 tons, the data showed.
Prices for these cargoes have also hit a record for China, averaging
around $17 per million British Thermal Units from $13/mmbtu in
May. Spot purchases have been condensed into a three-month period
running from May to July, after high gas prices at the beginning of the
year curtailed demand. China's return to the spot market is
seasonal - due to high summer power demand, analysts said. These
purchases also reflect a change in the country's attitude toward
higher-priced LNG imports as global prices have risen and supply has
tightened, they said.
China wants to increase natural gas use as part of efforts to reduce
its dependence on dirty fuels such as crude oil and coal, which it
blames for air pollution and a worsening environment. LNG
currently meets around 2%-3% of energy requirements in the southern
province of Guangdong where China's only operational LNG terminal is
located.
The flagship Dapeng complex, which cost more than $3.6 billion, was
commissioned in May 2006 and began commercial operations four months
later.
Guangdong Dapeng LNG Co. has been supplementing long-term supplies with
cargoes from the spot market. The terminal has a 25-year contract to
receive LNG from Australia's North West Shelf venture.
Guangdong Dapeng LNG is a joint venture; shareholders include units of
China National Offshore Oil Corp. and BP PLC, with stakes of 33% and
30%, respectively. Other partners include Shenzhen Gas Corp., Guangzhou
Gas Co. and Hong Kong & China Gas Investment Ltd.
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Australia China's £7bn stake
12% of Rio Tinto
8/25/08 source The Guardian
The Australian government has approved the Chinese acquisition of a
stake in the mining group Rio Tinto, potentially throwing an obstacle
in the path of BHP Billiton's £70bn bid for the company.
Chinalco, in partnership with the American mining group Alcoa, spent
£7bn to become Rio Tinto's largest shareholder in February. The
acquisition of 12% of Rio Tinto's London shares was the biggest single
foreign investment made by a Chinese company to date and had to
overcome serious political concerns in Canberra.
In a statement released yesterday the Australian treasurer, Wayne Swan,
said he would allow the Chinese company to buy as much as 14.99% of Rio
Tinto's London shares. Rio Tinto has a dual listing in Sydney and a
14.99% stake in London would equate to around 11% in the entire
group. But he set two conditions; that Chinalco does not raise
its stake above that level without fresh approval from the Australian
government and that it will not seek to appoint a director to the Rio
Tinto board as long as its stake remains below 15%. It is
debatable whether Chinalco will feel bound by the conditions. In an
interview in June, Chinalco president Xiao Yaqing suggested that the
company did not need Canberra's approval because it had bought the
shares in London.
Chinalco's swoop on Rio Tinto was widely regarded as an attempt to
block the BHP bid rather than a precursor to its own takeover attempt.
Beijing is said to fear that a merger of BHP and Rio Tinto would spark
an increase in the price of raw materials.
A combined BHP and Rio
Tinto would be worth £170bn and control about 35% of the world's traded
iron ore.
BHP Billiton chief executive Marius Kloppers has played down the
significance of the Chinese stake in Rio Tinto. BHP made its hostile
all-share offer conditional on only 50% acceptances, which means it is
not necessarily reliant on the support of Chinalco. But Stephen
Bartrop, a resources analyst at Stock Resource in Sydney, told
Bloomberg the Chinese stake in Rio Tinto "creates uncertainty about
whether or not BHP will get its deal over the line".
The west has been wary about the growing financial clout of China, with
governments scrutinising deals for political intent.
In the United States, a Chinese company was allowed to take over the
personal computer business of IBM
Another, CNOOC, was blocked from buying oil company Unocal.
The Australian government recently blocked the Chinese steelmaker
Shougang from buying a 20% stake in Perth-based iron ore producer Mount
Gibson.
A Chinese bid for the Canadian aluminium group Noranda was also
scuppered by political objections.
Swan said the conditions imposed upon Chinalco would be sufficient to
protect Australia's national interests.
BHP is awaiting regulatory approval before sending out its offer
document. Washington has already given its approval while Europe is
expected to rule by December 9. Australian regulators will give their
final verdict in October.
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Thai
consortium proposes $ 2 bn investment in Nigeria
Source: http://allafrica.com / Leadership 20-07-08
A consortium of Thailand companies made up of Rainbow Energy Limited,
PTT public company and Transglobal Energy Funds (TRC) has set aside $ 2
bn to be invested in Nigeria's energy sector if Federal Government
approves their proposal. The targeted areas are the power sector, gas,
petrochemical, and agriculture.
The company, under the umbrella of Rainbow Power Limited has also
pledged to assist the Federal Government in addressing the unreliable
power generation and supply through construction of three new power
stations which will generate 1,000 MW of electricity.
The group made the disclosure when they presented their proposal to the
minister of energy for gas, Chief Emmanuel Odusina in Abuja. The
consortium which has earlier met with the vice president, Goodluck
Jonathan, finance minister, Shamsudeen Usman, minister of state for
energy (Power), Fatima Ibrahim, said they planned to set up a
petrochemical company in Brass, build fertilizer plan in Delta State
and equally build three new powerplants in Ajaokuta, Abuja and Kano
that will generate 1,000 MW of electricity for Nigeria.
Currently Nigeria requires over 10,000 MW of electricity. However, it
generates less than 1,000 MW with Federal Government planning to
increase the generation capacity with massive investment in the sector
which will be revealed by the long awaited state of emergency in the
sector.
The group who pledged to deliver on the projects within two years of
approval disclosed that 1,000 MW which is 16 % would help in a long way
in addressing the current shortfall between generation capacity and
generation requirement of electricity in Nigeria. In his presentation,
a member of the group, Mr Taz Meerovich said the consortium would be a
critical development in the power generation capacity of Nigeria.
Explaining further, Meerovich said if approval is granted to their
proposal, the company would immediately commence the construction of
the proposed power stations. According to him, the power plant that
will be sighted inAjaokuta will generate 500 MW of electricity while
the ones in Abuja and Kano would generate 250 MW of electricity each.
Speaking further, the group's leader said the consortium was willing to
acquire 20 % shares of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation
(NNPC) in Brass LNG. He disclosed that the group is seeking at least 20
% proportional LNG off-take from Brass LNG for Thailand national needs
as part of the equity.
"The consortium will assist the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation
(NNPC) to acquire a Thailand based strategic energy interests such as
equity in a refinery and work towards the development of Thailand as a
base for LNG from NNPC targeting Asian market", he promised.
At the moment, NNPC has 49 % equity shares in Brass LNG, with
ConocoPhillips, ENI, and Total controlling 17 % shares each but the
consortium is proposing to acquire 20 % shares from 49 % being held by
NNPC.
In addition to the power sector, the consortium is planning to invest
in the gas. It also intends to build a petrochemical company in Brass.
According to the group, when completed, the petrochemical company would
be capable of generating power for its consumption and for the host
community.
Meerovich said the company would generate additional revenue for the
Federal Government, create jobs and assist in energy transfer. In the
area of agriculture, Meerovich said the consortium would also establish
a fertiliser plant in Delta State.
The group's leaders who observed that 80 % of the raw material needed
for the fertiliser production is available in Nigeria, however stated
that Nigeria has what it takes to be a great nation.
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Tangguh LNG plant 93 %
complete 2008 production target
Source: www.thejakartapost.com 16-07-08
The Tangguh plant, Indonesia's third liquefied natural gas (LNG)
facility, is 93 % complete and on track to meet its 2008 production
target, an official says. Amir Hamzah, spokesman for upstream oil and
gas regulator BP Migas, said the contractors had only to complete
several final checks at the plant. "After we finish the checking,
it will start producing LNG by the end of this year as scheduled," he
said.
Tangguh is a massive project that exploits gas fields in the
mountainous Bintuni Bay region in Papua. The gas fields boast proven
gas reserves of 14.4 tcf. The project operator is BP Berau, the
local unit of British energy giant BP Group which also owns a 37.16 %
stake in the project. The other owners are China's CNOOC (16.9 %), MI
Berau (16.30 %), Nippon Oil Exploration of Japan (12.23 %), KG Berau
(10 %) and LNG Japan Corporation (7.35 %).
Amir said the contractors of the plant would soon hand over gas
exploration to BP once construction had been completed. However, he
said the government and some of the project's foreign buyers were yet
to reach an agreement on the selling price of LNG produced at the plant.
"We're negotiating for the most lucrative price, thanks to the global
oil prices," he said, adding that this would help the government gain
higher revenue.
Niko Karen, executive vice president of human resources and relations
at BP, said he hoped the price agreement could be reached
immediately. "I expect the negotiation to be done quickly so that
it will not delay our plan to export the LNG in the first quarter of
next year," he told during the launch of BP's statistical review of
world energy 2008. The review, which was presented by the company's
chief economist Christof Ruhl, showed that the global gas prices have
more than doubled from less than $ 4 per mm Btu in 2002 to more than $
10 per mm Btu.
Tangguh will sell LNG to four overseas buyers -- China's Fujian (2.6 mm
tpy), South Korean K-Power and Posco (1.11 mm tpy) and Sempra Energy on
the western coast of Mexico (3.6 mm tpy).
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Nigeria calls for
closer cooperation with Thailand
Source: http://allafrica.com / This Day 21-07-08
Finance Minister Dr Shamsuddeen Usman, has called for a closer
cooperation between Nigeria and the Kingdom of Thailand.
Usman who paid an official visit to the kingdom between July 8 and 9
this year said a closer cooperation between Nigeria and Thailand was
imperative in order to grow the economic and trade relationships
between the two countries particularly in the energy sector. During the
visit, the Finance minister visited the offices and facilities of PTT
Public Company in Bangkok and Rayong, and held a meeting and luncheon
with senior executives of the company.
At present, trade relationships between Nigeria and Thailand are
concentrated on rice exports, as Nigeria is consistently a top three
importer of Thai rice and also the biggest African importer of the
product. The minister also during the visit formally invited PTT Public
Company to invest in the power and gas sectors in the country.
PTT Public Company is part of Asia-Africa Energy Limited, a member of
the consortium of Rainbow Power Limited (RPL). Currently, RPL is
planning to invest in the power and gas sector in Nigeria. The company
plans to construct a power plant of up to 1,000 MW, a petrochemical
plant and a fertilizer plant. Also, the priority of the consortium is
the export of Liquefied Natural Gas from Nigeria to Thailand.
Nigeria has one of the highest natural gas reserves in the world. A
closer relationship between the two countries in the energy sector will
be a great complement as both Nigeria and Thailand have similar
climates and landscape. Already, Nigeria is being seen as an
alternative market and a jump of point for Thailand based companies
seeking to expand their markets in Africa.
The proposed investment of Rainbow Power and consortium member PTT in
Nigeria may just be the first among the other Thai investments that may
follow in the country. Other potential investments that may come from
the country are in the areas of hospitality and tourism industry,
medical sector, agriculture and manufacturingamong others.
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