Global LNG demand is increasing

Since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, European and Asian countries more than most have recognized that they must reduce reliance on any one region or country’s supply of energy including natural gas.

Natural gas is both a transition and a destination fuel. Natural gas and LNG are essential for the energy transition as they play an instrumental role in shifting away from coal and moving toward net-zero emissions. As the transition evolves, natural gas will remain vital in providing reliable and efficient energy to support economies in different parts of the world including Australia and all of Asia.

The re-drawing of global energy supply maps is pushing natural gas and LNG demand to new heights and spurring new off-take contracting and other activities and opportunities for companies like Gulf Energy, for example:

• Executives of Venture Global Inc., Arlington, Va., have increased their 2025 guidance for cargos from the company’s Calcasieu Pass and Plaquemines LNG plants by about 5 and say customers’ appetite for shipments is “fairly steady.” (Oil & Gas Journal, 14 May 2025)

• Commonwealth LNG LLC and Kimmeridge Texas Gas (KTG) finalized binding agreements with Glencore Ltd. to form a natural gas and LNG partnership. (Oil & Gas Journal, 14 May 2025)

• Shell Plc’s liquefied natural gas project in Canada, the country’s first large-scale export terminal for the fuel, is preparing to begin overseas sales as soon as late June. (Rigzone, 12 May 2025)

• Southern Energy and Golar LNG announced FID May 2 on a 20-year redeployment charter of the FLNG Hilli Episeyo offshore Argentina. In addition, the two parties have signed definitive agreements for a 20-year charter for Golar’s MKII FLNG, which is undergoing conversion at the CIMC Raffles shipyard in Yantai, China. This charter remains subject to FID and regulatory approvals, although both are anticipated later this year. (Offshore Mag, 10 May 2025)

• Energy Transfer LP is targeting final investment decision (FID) on its 16.45-million tonne/year (tpy) Lake Charles LNG plant in Calcasieu Parish, La., by end-2025. The company last month signed a heads of agreement (HoA) with MidOcean Energy LLC to jointly develop the project (OGJ Online, Apr. 10, 2025). It also agreed to sell a Japanese utility 1 million tpy of offtake and signed an HoA with a German utility for offtake of another 1 million tpy. (Oil & Gas Journal, 9 May 2025)

• Commonwealth LNG signed an agreement with an undisclosed buyer to supply LNG from its 9.5 million tonnes/year (tpy) plant currently under development in Cameron, La. The deal, signed with “a major Asian energy company,” will see Commonwealth supply 1 million tpy of LNG for 20 years. (Oil & Gas Journal, 5 May 2025)

• Venture Global Inc. has secured $3 billion in syndicated borrowings to help fund the under-construction CP2 LNG in Cameron Parish, Louisiana. (Rigzone, 6 May 2025)

• The Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) projects a 2 percent increase in natural gas consumption in 2025 on continued growth in the power and industrial sectors. Global production is also forecast to rise 2 percent, driven by the Middle East, according to the April release of the GECF’s monthly report. (Rigzone, 5 May 2025)

• TotalEnergies and OQ, the Oman National Oil Company, have broken ground on the Marsa LNG plant in the port of Sohar, northern Oman, one year after the companies took final investment decision (FID) to develop the project. The 1 million tonnes/year (tpy) liquefaction plant is being built by Marsa LNG LLC, a joint venture company of TotalEnergies (80%) and OQ Exploration & Production (20%). First LNG, primarily intended to serve the marine fuel market (LNG bunkering) in the Gulf to reduce emissions in the shipping industry, is expected in the first quarter of 2028. (Oil & Gas Journal, 2 May 2025)

• INEOS Group Ltd. and Covestro AG have signed a deal for the British diversified conglomerate to supply the German major polymer materials producer with liquefied natural gas (LNG) for up to eight years from 2027. (Rigzone, 1 May 2025)

• Woodside Energy Group Ltd. has tapped BP PLC for the supply of up to 640 billion cubic feet of natural gas for the Louisiana LNG project on the United States Gulf Coast. (Rigzone, 1 May 2025)

• Woodside Energy Group Ltd. said Tuesday it had made a positive final investment decision (FID) on the Louisiana LNG project. “The forecast total capital expenditure for the LNG project, pipeline and management reserve is US$17.5 billion (100 percent)”, the Australian oil and gas exploration and production company said in an online statement. (Rigzone, 29 April 2025)

• QatarEnergy and Exxon Mobil Corp. on Monday secured regulatory approval to commission their Sabine Pass, Texas liquefied natural gas (LNG) project. (Rigzone, 29 April 2025)

• Woodside Energy has pressed go on the Louisiana investment set to make it a “global LNG powerhouse”. Not bad for the oil and gas start-up named after a Victorian Bass Strait town seven decades ago. (Australian Financial Review, 29 April 2025)

• Indian energy importers are switching from pricey liquefied natural gas to cheaper oil products, a move that will help ease tight global supplies of the super-chilled fuel. (Rigzone, 24 April 2025)

• TotalEnergies signed a heads of agreement (HoA) with Energia Natural Dominicana (ENADOM), the joint venture between AES Dominicana and Energas in the Dominican Republic, for delivery of 400,000 tonnes/year (tpy) of LNG.  (Oil & Gas Journal, 23 April 2025)

• Petroliam Nasional Bhd. (Petronas) has delivered its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo for Vietnam National Industry-Energy Group (Petrovietnam), renamed earlier this month from Vietnam Oil and Gas Group, as part of a cooperation deal signed 2023. (Rigzone, 23 April 2025)

• German LNG Terminal GMBH has awarded Ballast Nedam Infra BV and Hakkers Waterbouw the contract to build a sea jetty as part of the 10 billion cu m/year land-based terminal German LNG is building in Brunsbüttel, Germany. The companies will execute the work as subcontractors to main contractor CS Gas North, a collaboration between Spanish companies Grupo Cobra and Sener. (Oil & Gas Journal, 22 April 2025)

• ADNOC has signed a long-term agreement to supply ENN LNG (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of ENN Natural Gas Co. Ltd. Under the SPA, ADNOC will supply about 1 million tonnes/year (tpy) of LNG to ENN LNG for a period of 15 years. The LNG will primarily be sourced from ADNOC’s Ruwais LNG project. (Oil & Gas Journal, 22 April 2025)

• The European Union’s imminent release of a road map for phasing out Russian fossil fuel purchases will signal to companies that they should source more liquefied natural gas from the US, according to European Council President Antonio Costa. (Rigzone, 21 April 2025)

• German utility Uniper SE has signed liquefied natural gas (LNG) sale and purchase agreements (SPAs) with Woodside Energy Group Ltd. In a media release, Uniper said Woodside will deliver 1 million tonnes per annum (MMtpa) from Louisiana LNG LLC and 1 MMtpa from its global portfolio. Uniper noted that the 2 MMtpa would cover approximately 3 percent of German total gas consumption in 2024. (Rigzone, 21 April 2025)

• Eni SpA has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Argentina’s state energy company YPF for the joint evaluation of the Argentina LNG project. (Rigzone, 18 April 2025)

• bp says it has safely loaded the first cargo of LNG for export from its GTA Phase 1 project offshore Mauritania and Senegal. (Offshore Mag, 17 April 2025)

• Global energy major TotalEnergies SE signed a heads of agreement (HoA) with Energia Natural Dominicana Enadom, S.R.L. (Enadom) for the delivery of 400,000 tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) per year. (Rigzone, 16 April 2025)

• Delfin Midstream has announced significant progress in securing key permits and approvals for its energy infrastructure project in the US. Delfin LNG, a subsidiary of Delfin, received a licence from the Maritime Administration (MARAD) on 21 March 2025. The licence allows Delfin LNG to own, construct, operate and decommission a deep-water port to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the US. (Offshore Technology, 11 April 2025)

• NextDecade Corp. has secured a 20-year, 1.2 million metric tons per annum (MMtpa) offtake from Saudi Arabian Oil Co. (Aramco) for the planned fourth liquefaction train of the under-construction Rio Grande LNG project in Brownsville, Texas. (Rigzone, 9 April 2025)

• LNG Canada has started to cool down its liquefied natural gas plant in Kitimat, British Columbia, considered a final step before it begins to produce the superchilled gas, two people told Reuters. LNG Canada is the country's first LNG export facility and when completed is expected to produce 14 million metric tonnes per annum (MTPA) for export. (Reuters, 9 April 2025)

• Woodside Energy Group Ltd. has entered into a binding agreement with investment firm Stonepeak to farm out 40% interest in Louisiana LNG Infrastructure LLC, its LNG production and export terminal under construction in Calcasieu Parish, La. (Oil & Gas Journal, 8 April 2025)

• LNG Canada has started to cool down its liquefied natural gas plant in Kitimat, British Columbia, considered a final step before it begins to produce the superchilled gas. LNG Canada is the country's first LNG export facility and when completed is expected to produce 14 million metric tonnes per annum (MTPA) for export. (Reuters, 9 April 2025)

• Stonepeak Partners LP has signed an agreement to become a 40 percent partner in Woodside Energy Group Ltd.’s Louisiana LNG project, committing a cumulative investment of $5.7 billion. (Rigzone, 7 April 2025)

• The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has granted approval to U.S. LNG developer Venture Global Inc to commence service on the remainder of the facilities at the Calcasieu Pass LNG Terminal in Louisiana, according to a filing on Thursday. (Reuters, 4 April 2025)

See past activities and opportunities for companies like Gulf Energy below: