LNG Japan Agrees $880 Million Deal to Join Giant Gas Project

financialpost.com:

(Bloomberg) — LNG Japan Corp. agreed a deal worth as much as $880 million for a stake in a giant natural gas project off Australia, a new step to secure supply of a fossil fuel the nation expects to retain a key role in its energy mix.

The joint venture, owned by Sumitomo Corp. and Sojitz Corp., will acquire a 10% interest in the Scarborough operation from Woodside Energy Group. It also struck a pact for the supply from the project of 12 cargoes — or about 900,000 tons — of liquefied natural gas a year for a decade from 2026, the Perth-based producer said Tuesday.

Scarborough, which will drill gas offshore and process it at an expanded plant on the Burrup Peninsula in Western Australia, is forecast to produce as much as 8 million tons of LNG a year and has become a lightning rod for climate activists opposed to the development of new fossil fuels projects.

Read More: A $12 Billion Deal in Australia Says Gas Has a Long Future

“The support of LNG Japan is testament to the quality of the Scarborough project,” Woodside’s Chief Executive Officer Meg O’Neill said in a statement. “It also underscores the ongoing demand from Japanese buyers for new supplies of gas and the role of gas in supporting Japan’s energy security.”

Japan, the largest buyer of Australian LNG, has been striking new pacts with major shippers after last year’s energy crisis prompted the government to press companies to lock in supply and invest in projects. Japan and Germany used a Group of Seven summit earlier this year to call for support for new investment in gas projects.

Scarborough’s direct carbon dioxide emissions are estimated to be about 4.4 million tons a year, and that figure swells to 56 million tons if the burning of the gas by consumers, or