The focus on electrification as the primary technology pathway to achieve this transformation presents India with a powerful opportunity to emerge as a leader in clean, connected and shared mobility solutions, battery manufacturing and renewable energy integration.The cost of key components for electric vehicles (EVs), most notably, lithium ion batteries, have been falling at rates comparable to declines for LED lamps, solar panels and integrated circuit chips; and rapid scaling of the manufacturing of these components in India will further drive down costs, making EVs the most cost efficient solutions for intracity travel. Renewably supplied electricity can deliver long-term, fixed cost power supply for mobility services throughout the economy, and solar electrons can become a transportation fuel.From the perspective of energy security and competitive advantage too, new mobility solutions will reduce oil import costs, lower trade deficits, and limit vulnerability to oil supply disruptions and process shocks. Finally, shared, connected and clean mobility solutions will deliver a host of environmental benefits, including cleaner air so Indian citizens can breathe more easily.Addressing the Global Mobility Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had outlined a vision for the future of mobility in India based on 7Cs, which are common, connected, convenient, congestion-free, charged, clean and cutting-edge. How can India achieve these objectives?

First, India’s per capita car ownership is quite low with fewer than 20 vehicles per 1,000 persons, as compared to 900 per 1,000 in the US and 800 per 1,000 in Europe. India has an opportunity to leapfrog ahead of the legacy model of individually owned internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles that are utilized by only around 5% of the people. India’s low per capita car ownership affords it the chance to pursue a different model from the western world. Our emphasis must be on shared, connected and electric transportation.

Second, two and three wheelers constitute almost 80% of India’s domestic automobile sales. India must leverage this and provide impetus to electrification of these two segments to provide size and scale to India’s e-mobility efforts.

Third, India must push for public transportation to become the preferred mode of travel. At present, India has only 1.2 buses per 1,000 people, which is far below the benchmarks of developing nations. Only 63 of the 458 Indian cities have a formal city bus system and 15 cities have a bus or rail based mass rapid transport system. Public transport must become the core focus area for municipalities and state governments.

Fourth, as we shift from ICE vehicles (2,000 components) to EVs (20 components) India must create a unique ecosystem to encourage and ensure Make in India as far as possible. This would require a phased manufacturing programme across the entire value chain, an efficient fiscal and tax structure, and size and scale aligned to India’s ambition to produce world class vehicles for domestic and global markets. This ecosystem should also be able to attract global OEMs for manufacturing.

Fifth, batteries account for almost 40% of the total purchase cost of EVs today. Domestic battery manufacturing is a massive market opportunity for India to rapidly enable the transition to EVs. A recent study by Rocky Mountain Institute and Niti Aayog concludes that India has the opportunity to pursue manufacturing of both battery cells and packs while importing only raw materials. With this India can capture nearly 80% of the total economic opportunity. New battery technologies, like solid-state lithium ion batteries, sodium ion batteries and silicon-based batteries, are under development. India needs to vigorously pursue research and development in these areas and have a clear roadmap for manufacturing on a mega scale.

Lastly, India’s cities must build charging infrastructure to remove range anxieties. The existing network of our marketing oil companies must be fully utilized to ensure charging facilities in urban areas and highways.

Forecasts indicate that EVs can reach price parity with ICE vehicles by 2024. India must therefore explore newer models of swapping batteries and pay as you go, and facilitate startups like Ola, Ather, Sun Mobility, Zoomcar, Shuttl, Rivigo, who are innovating and disrupting status quo in mobility. A recent report by Morgan Stanley titled India’s Transport Evolution, has highlighted that on account of rapid spread of digitization and mobile telephony and low per capita car usage, half of India’s car fleet will be EVs and half of all miles driven will be on shared platforms by 2040. This new sunrise area can emerge as the biggest catalyst of clean environment, lower trade deficit and new jobs for India.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/toi-edit-page/electrifying-indias-transport-an-action-plan-for-leapfrogging-towards-a-clean-connected-and-shared-future/

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The latest draft guidelines on Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles Scheme (FAME) list components that need to be built locally, with specific deadlines. FAME, which was introduced on 1 April 2015, entered its second phase (FAME-2) in April 2019.The guidelines, issued by the department of heavy industry (DHI) which implements the scheme, cover manufacturers of electric and hybrid two-wheelers, three-wheelers, rickshaws, four-wheelers and electric buses, along with associated deadlines for indigenization. Mint has seen a copy of the guidelines.All electric vehicle and hybrid manufacturers must localize manufacturing of wheel rims integrated with hub motor from 1 October 2019.

Subsidies under FAME-2 are based on battery capacity with energy content measured in kilowatt-hour (kWh). It proposes a uniform demand incentive of ₹10,000 per kWh for all electric vehicles, including hybrids except buses.

The department of heavy industry has also invited electric and hybrid vehicle makers to register to comply with the FAME-2 eligibility criteria. Companies must have at least 25 vehicle dealers and service centres situated in at least two states to be eligible. Only the approved models, including all variants, qualify under the new guidelines.

https://www.livemint.com/politics/policy/govt-tells-ev-makers-to-localize-manufacturing-to-qualify-for-subsidies-1557168102400.html[Edited]

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The electric vehicles on Uber platforms include the e2oPlus hatch and the eVerito sedan.The company has worked closely with the public and private players who have installed 30 common EV charging stations across the city.Mahesh Babu, the CEO of Mahindra Electric on the flag off in Hyderabad said, “As the pioneers of electric mobility in India we have always been at the forefront of smart and sustainable mobility,”“Our collaboration with Uber is aimed at accelerating the large scale adoption of electric vehicles on shared mobility platforms, thereby driving a positive change in the daily commute.” We are excited about the tremendous potential of electric vehicles in India and are committed to supporting the government’s vision of building a viable infrastructure to accelerate the speedy induction of more EVs.” The company will also help the initiative by giving driver education and training. As the ride-sharing services are commonly seen in Hyderabad and used by most MNCs, corporates, government offices etc, Mahindra electric is trying to make the city emission free by deploying its EV fleet.

Source: ElectricVehicles.in

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This investment is in Ratan Tata’s personal capacity in the newly formed Electric Mobility company. Tata is also an early investor in ANI Technologies Pvt Ltd, Ola’s parent company. Tata’s investment in Ola Electric is a significant endorsement of the company’s approach to developing an electric mobility ecosystem, including innovations in charging infrastructure, swapping models, and market-appropriate products. Ola Electric is currently running several pilots involving charging solutions, battery swapping stations, and deploying vehicles across two, three and four-wheeler segments. Investment details are still under wraps.Ola to add 10,000 new electric cars to its fleet. Ratan Tata, said, “The electric vehicle ecosystem is evolving dramatically every day, and I believe Ola Electric will play a key role in its growth and development. I have always admired the vision of Bhavish Aggarwal and I’m confident that this will be part of yet another important strategic move into this new business area.”Ola Electric is currently running several pilots involving charging solutions, battery swapping stations, and deploying vehicles across two, three and four-wheeler segments. Ola Electric Mobility Pvt Ltd raised a sum of ₹ 400 crores led by several of Ola’s early investors, Tiger Global and Matrix India and others, as part of its first round of investment. The company was initially established to enable Ola’s electric mobility pilot program in Nagpur.Bhavish Aggarwal, Co-founder & CEO, Ola said, “Mr. Tata has been an inspiration and a mentor to me personally in shaping Ola’s journey over the years. I’m very excited to welcome him on board Ola Electric as an investor and a mentor in our mission of building sustainable mobility for everyone on our planet. He is a visionary who has inspired a generation of entrepreneurs and we are privileged to have his guidance and support once again, as we work towards our goal of a million electric vehicles in India by 2021.”

Source: NDTV

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which is supplied to the government as part of the Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) tender.Inauguration of charging stations is done by Secretary General of Lok Sabha, Snehlata Shrivastava with the presence of other senior officials from EESL. 10 EVs from Tata and Mahindra were flagged off. According to FAME II Scheme, EESL wants to set up the largest network of chargers in India which starts from metro cities such as Mumbai and New Delhi. EESL has plans to install charging stations at public parking places, fuel stations and shopping malls.

Source: ElectricVehicles.in

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the EVs industry has taken a jump in sales of over 7.5 lakh units in FY 2018-19. When the EV growth is compared with the last year it has recorded a 31.8% increase in the growth.This could happen with the government support as it has made the necessary push to bring in EVs or to promote EVs in the country concerning the increasing vehicular pollution and to move towards fulfilling the objective to have at least 30% of EVs on road by 2030. According to Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles, the total sales recorded in 2018-19 has been 759,600 units. It includes two-wheelers (126,000), three-wheelers (630,000) and four wheelers (3600).

Source: ElectricVehicles.in

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explore synergies of operation in integrated customer services and other value-added services of common interests, Tata Power said today.The MoU was signed by SanjibDatta, Managing Director, MGL, and PraveerSinha, CEO & Managing Director of Tata Power, in Mumbai.The MoU facilitates both the companies to explore possibilities of co-operation in common utility revenue cycle management and customer management solutions, IT solutions, data analytics, geographical information system (GIS); common safeguard activities for underground assets, solar rooftop initiatives and setting up of commercial-scale charging and/or battery swapping stations for electric vehicles, with the allied power management solutions.PraveerSinha of Tata Power said, “This is yet another significant move by Tata Power to offer a wide range of services to the Indian energy consumers.”SanjibDatta of MGL, said, “We are exploring business opportunities beyond gas. This strategic alliance with Tata Power will provide us an opportunity to explore joint synergies and foray into emerging e-mobility business in the Indian mobility space, where we are already a significant player by supplying CNG for various vehicle segments.”MGL is an enterprise of Gail (India) Ltd, Government of Maharashtra and BG Asia Pacific Holdings Pte. Limited.Currently, MGL supplies CNG to nearly 7 lakh vehicles which include more than 3 lakh rickshaws and above 60,000 taxis and about 3 lakh cars in Mumbai, Thane, Mira-Bhayander, Navi Mumbai and beyond.

https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/tata-power-and-mgl-join-hands-to-foray-into-e-mobility-and-other-services-1557736975381.html

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Speaking at the ‘Urja Sangam’ conference in March 2015, the Prime Minister had said that India needs to bring down its oil import dependence from 77% in 2013-14 to 67% by 2022 when India will celebrate its 75th year of independence. Further, the dependence can be cut to half by 2030, he had said. But with consumption growing at a brisk pace and domestic output remaining stagnant, India’s oil import dependence has risen from 82.9% in 2017-18 to 83.7% in 2018-19, according to the oil ministry’s Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC). Import dependence in 2015-16 was 80.6%, which rose to 81.7% in the following year, PPAC said. The country’s oil consumption grew from 184.7 MMT in 2015-16 to 194.6 MMT in the following year and 206.2 MMT in the year thereafter. In 2018-19, demand grew by 2.6% to 211.6 MMT.In contrast, domestic output continues to fall. India’s crude oil output fell from 36.9 MMT in 2015-16 to 36 MMT in 2016-17. The trend of negative growth continues in the following years as well as output fell to 35.7 MMT in 2017-18 and to 34.2 MMT in the fiscal year that ended on March 31, 2019, PPAC data showed. 
The government is focusing on measures like increasing domestic production, promoting the use of biofuel and energy conservation to reduce dependence on imported crude oil. It changed exploration rules multiple times during the last five years to get the elusive private and foreign investment. The previous New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP) was changed to Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP) promising pricing and marketing freedom. HELP brought in open acreage licensing policy that gave companies freedom to choose areas they want to explore. Discovered oil and gas fields, taken away from state-owned firms, were also auctioned but neither this nor the open acreage policy managed to get big names to invest in exploration and production of oil and gas. 

Source: ET Energyworld [Edited]

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and Rasayan Ltd (HURL).HURL is a joint venture of NTPC (30 per cent), Coal India Ltd (30 per cent), Indian Oil (30 per cent) and Fertilizer Corporation of India (10 per cent).Reminiscing about the town’s beauty, Khan, a Dubai resident said, “Even a fool would not have left such a beautiful place with so much of greenery around. But after the closure of the fertiliser factory in 2002, everybody became jobless. We had to leave the town to make both ends meet,” Khan added.Deepak Kumar Dipu, a member of Sindri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, recalled how the picturesque Priyadarshini lakes — a network of seven interconnected water bodies — complete with boating and fishing facilities and surrounded by fruit orchards used to attract tourists and picnickers.“Four of those seven lakes have dried up. We also used to get water five times a day for three hours and electricity was supplied almost 20 hours per day. Streets were swept and garbage was collected twice every day,” Dipu said.A retired FCI employee Sewa Singh said medical emergencies forced residents had to rush to Dhanbad, 25km away, while the 205-bed hospital, set up in 1952, had been lying defunct since 2003.“We are thankful to the Modi government for taking the bold decision to establish the factory, which is expected to revive the town’s lost glory to some extent,” he said.Additional general manager of Sindri unit of HURL M.C. Karan said things were moving on the right track and production was likely to start by May 2021 if everything went well.“At present, work on setting up the urea, ammonia and power plants in addition to a water filtration plant and a gas metering plant was underway,” he said.The foundation stone for the factory, comprising a 3,850-tonnes-per-day ammonia plant, 2,220-tonnes-per-day urea plant and a captive power plant of 30MW, was laid by Modi on June 25, 2018.The natural gas-based factory is being set up on 751 acres belonging to FCI. Laying of pipeline for supply of gas is being carried out by Gail (India) Ltd.

https://www.telegraphindia.com/states/jharkhand/sindri-hopes-to-get-back-glory/cid/1690309

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As part of its latest round of retaliatory tariffs on US imports, Beijing increased the duty on LNG shipments from 10 per cent to 25pc. This will make it even more uneconomic for Chinese buyers to purchase LNG cargoes from the US. The 10pc tariff put in place last year has already devastated the trade, with China’s imports of the fuel dropping sharply. China imported 25 US LNG cargoes in the first half of 2018, and this slipped to just eight in the second half, according to vessel-tracking data compiled by Refintiv. This year, a mere three cargoes have been delivered, one each in January, February and March, and no more are currently scheduled to arrive in the coming months. This means in practical terms that raising China’s import duty will have little impact on global LNG flows. But there are certain to be longer-term consequences from the fastest-growing LNG market effectively locking out the world’s fastest-growing supplier. Much of the new LNG coming on stream this year and next is based in the US, as companies rush to take advantage of the plentiful and cheap supplies of natural gas delivered by the nation’s shale boom. It’s also worth noting that the US is the dominant player in the next wave of LNG projects being planned around the world. The US currently has 64.2 MMT of annual LNG capacity under construction, the bulk of which will hit the market this year and next. Together with Canada, it also has a further 164.2 MMT in capacity for which the final investment decisions are due by the end of next year. The market expectation is that China will overtake Japan as the world’s largest LNG importer sometime in the next decade, even though its annual rate of growth will moderate from the breakneck pace of more than 40pc for the past two years.

This means China will become the most important single player in the LNG buyers’ market, just as it already is for several other commodities, such as iron ore, copper, crude oil and coal. Both existing and emerging US LNG producers won’t want to be shut out of that market, but if the trade war continues for several years it’s likely that some projects will struggle to secure the necessary financing to progress. The longer the tariff war continues, the more the US will hand advantages to new rival producers in countries such as Russia.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1482385/chinas-tariffs-on-us-liquefied-natural-gas-to-have-long-term-impact

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The price for delivery of LNG to northeast Asia in June is estimated at $5.60 per MMBtu, a 30 cent rise from the previous week.“The buying is still not strong, but we understand that there are a few players short for summer,” an LNG trader said.The uptick may not be long-lasting as demand from end-users remained subdued, while production from Australia is also going up, creating additional supply in the Pacific basin.Traders in Japan and China were largely on holiday this week, with trading activity led by portfolio and trading firms.Asian prices have risen from about $4.40 MMBtu in late March, when they were below European gas prices, to trade at a premium, which is now firming.But the Asian premium that was still below $1.00 MMBtu on Friday, May 2, is not enough to make Asia a more attractive destination for spot cargoes from the Atlantic.In Europe, the Dutch June gas price rose around 15 cents in the past week to about $4.80 MMBtu, with cargoes in northwest Europe priced at around a 30 cent discount to the gas price.Gas traders expect European June contracts to be supported by maintenance work on Norwegian gas facilities and fields. Some 50 million cubic metres a day are expected to be out of action in Norway next week and that may double the following week.“Asian LNG prices are still very much keeping up with what’s happening in Europe,” a market source said.Uncertainty about the development of price correlation between Asia and Europe has left the destination for some cargoes unclear.Three cargoes loaded in the United States changed their direction from Europe to Asia, Refinitiv Eikon data showed.Royal Dutch Shell’s Pan Africa turned away from Europe while crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Trafigura’s Gaslog Santiago was heading to Gibraltar but turned south before entering the strait. Naturgy’s Iberica Knutsen took a course towards Spain but turned back to head to Taiwan.In Europe, two vessels appeared directionless, with the LNG Sokoto changing its destination twice over a week and the Al Khattiya took a week to travel from the south of Spain through the English Channel.In Americas, Mexican utility CFE awarded its 17-cargo tender to a variety of companies, including BP, Shell and Naturgy, market sources said.

https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/global-lng-prices-climb-but-cargoes-change-direction-signal-uncertainty/

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or Mozambique LNG to make an important announcement during a celebratory event on 18 June 2019 in Maputo.It was also noted that all issues under negotiation between the Government of Mozambique and Anadarko have been satisfactorily resolved.“We expect 18 June 2019 will become a historic day in Mozambique as we announce that one of the most important and transformational projects in our country’s history is ready to advance to the next stage,” said His Excellency President Nyusi. “We recognize Anadarko’s continued commitment to moving this project forward to becoming a reality.”“With commitments for financing in place, off-take secured, and all other issues under negotiation successfully addressed, we are excited to take the next step with the expected announcement of a final investment decision for the Mozambique LNG project on 18 June 2019,” said Walker.

https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/gas-processing/09052019/mozambique-lng-and-the-government-of-mozambique-expect-to-make-major-announcement-on-18-june-2019/

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at about $50 million this year as it tries to vault remaining regulatory and permitting hurdles for the Jordan Cove liquefied natural gas project at Coos Bay, Ore., and a related 370-kilometre pipeline.The reduced level of work is expected to result in construction delays such that first gas exports are now expected one year later than the targeted date in 2024.Pembina, which inherited the project when it purchased Veresen Inc. in 2017, said it received a draft environmental impact statement from the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in March that provided a framework for approval of the Jordan Cove project as proposed with “reasonable” conditions.However, a final FERC decision is not expected until next January, and critical Oregon state permits aren’t expected until near the end of this year.A previous, smaller version of the project was denied by FERC in 2016 due to landowner objections and what it said was a failure to demonstrate demand for its product.Pembina says it still intends to bring in partners for the pipeline and liquefaction facility to reduce its ownership to between 40 and 60 per cent.It said it has non-binding off-take agreements with customers in excess of the planned design capacity of 7.5 million tonnes per year but will pause executing binding deals until early 2020.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/canadian-lng-project-delayed-1.5120991

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Chart’s IPSMR®+ delivers industry leading project economics by producing more LNG while reducing plant capital cost. In the new age of LNG modular midscale solutions, Chart’s IPSMR® process has been adopted by EPCs, Project Developers, and validated by both National and International Oil Companies. Specifically, IPSMR®, along with the industry-proven brazed aluminum heat exchangers, Core-in-Kettle® heat exchangers and Chart’s Hudson air cooled heat exchangers, will be utilized on multiple mid-scale export terminal projects.The next generation of liquefaction technology IPSMR®+ builds on the Chart’s single mixed refrigerant design and adds a pre-cooling step. The IPSMR®+ process provides as much as 8% increased efficiency over IPSMR®. Chart’s less complicated method for pre-cooling IPSMR® requires approximately 25% less plot space than conventional pre-cooled liquefaction technologies, independent of which rotating equipment is utilized.  In addition to broadening the mid-scale offering, with the additional efficiency, capacity and cost benefits, IPSMR®+ is an excellent choice for baseload LNG plants using multiple identical liquefaction trains. “IPSMR®+ has been evaluated by two international oil companies who have compared our own process and other technologies and determined it continues to be the most efficient,” said Jill Evanko, Chart Industries’ CEO. “We are proud of our equipment and processes which serve a broad set of applications and can be customized to what works best for the operator and our partners in each project.” 

https://www.ngvjournal.com/s1-news/c7-lng-h2-blends/chart-industries-launches-ipsmr-process-technology-for-lng/

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by the European Commission.The news is good for both sides. For U.S. LNG producers, a growing export market is always good news. For the European Union, this pledge to buy more U.S. LNG will defuse a tariff bomb that President Trump threatened to blow up last year: he said he would slap import tariffs on German cars if the EU did not play nice. With few options available, this is exactly what the EU has done.But the increase in U.S. LNG imports is good news for the European Union in more than one way. It will also reduce its reliance on Russian gas something that has been a thorn in the side of several central European EU members, most notably Poland and the Baltic States. These, by the way, are already the chief buyers of U.S. LNG and builders of import terminals. However, they are small potatoes compared with Germany, the EU’s largest energy consumer and gas importer.At a recent meeting in Brussels when the import doubling pledge was made, U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry praised the EU for its decision saying U.S. LNG imports were more secure than Russia deliveries. European Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete, however, emphasized the price component in the LNG import dynamics: “Given our heavy dependence on imports, U.S. LNG, if priced competitively, could play an increasing and strategic role in EU gas supply,” he said.Indeed, the energy industry is currently working on making U.S. LNG more competitive. The reason for this competitiveness issue is geographical: Novatek’s Yamal LNG plant is a lot nearer European import terminals and this makes the Russian gas cheaper. Novatek supplied 1.41 MMT to Europe in February, which made it the largest EU LNG supplier for that month. A billion cubic meters of natural gas is equivalent to around 740,000 tons of liquefied gas.Besides price issues, however, there is a bigger one: there is not enough LNG demand in Europe yet, it seems. Poland and the Baltic States are building regasification terminals at an unprecedented pace eager to break their dependence on Russian gas but the demand is simply not there and the capacity of these terminals currently exceeds demand by quite a bit.Even with these challenges, U.S. LNG exports to Europe have soared by more than 200% since last year when EC President Jean-Claude Juncker promised President Trump that the EU would buy more LNG from the United States. And they will continue rising even with the current challenges. For starters, Poland and the Baltic States are prepared to pay more for U.S. LNG. Then, the EU is firmly on a quest to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, and LNG—along with pipeline gas—is called a bridge fuel for a reason. The faster the industry solves the price problem and the sooner EU politicians figure out a way to stimulate demand faster rather than slower, the faster both sides will be able to reap the benefits of increased LNG supply.

https://oilprice.com/Energy/Natural-Gas/EU-Promises-To-Double-US-LNG-Imports-Within-5-Years.html

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The Port Kembla project is the first of five proposed LNG import terminals in Australia to receive planning approval. All of them are looking to help plug a looming supply shortage expected in the country’s southeast in the 2020s.Australian Industrial Energy (AIE), the joint venture planning to build the berth for a floating LNG import facility at Port Kembla, about 100 km (60 miles) south of Sydney, said the approval means it can now focus on lining up gas customers.AIE is aiming to make a final investment decision around the middle of this year. “This terminal could supply 70% of our State’s annual gas demand and help ease the cost of energy bills for NSW families and small business owners,” New South Wales Energy and Environment Minister Matt Kean said in a statement.The AIE joint venture partners are Australian mining billionaire Andrew Forrest’s Squadron Energy, Japan’s JERA Co, the world’s biggest buyer of LNG, and Japanese trading firm Marubeni Corp.If they decide to go ahead with the project in the middle of this year, first gas could be delivered by late 2020, the partners said in a joint in a joint release.Squadron Energy Chief Executive Stuart Johnson declined to say how much of the project’s capacity of 100 petajoules a year the partners want to have locked into five-year gas supply agreements before making a final investment decision.The AIE partners want sales to match the LNG volume that JERA, a joint venture between Tokyo Electric Power and Chubu Electric Power, has agreed to supply.Price discussions are likely to be tough, though, as spot LNG prices have slumped due to a glut in North Asia and are about half the price of LNG term contracts linked to oil prices.“We believe we’ve got the best priced LNG in the market.But if someone wants to, for example, take a risk on spot and they want to book capacity on the vessel and (pay a) toll, we’re open to that,” Johnson said.AIE managed to secure state approval ahead of AGL Energy , which was first to propose importing LNG to Australia. AGL’s project has been slowed by an environmental review in Victoria state.

Source: LNG Global

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Summit LNG Terminal completed the commissioning of its floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) known as ‘Summit LNG’ late on Monday, about one month ahead of schedule, Singapore-based Summit Power International said in a statement.The FSRU is 75 percent owned by Summit Corp, a unit of Summit Power International, and the remaining by Japan’s Mitsubishi Corp.About 503 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) of gas is flowing from the FSRU – which is able to regasify 500 mmcfd of LNG – into the national grid, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.Summit Power International, which owns power generation assets in Bangladesh and is owned by Bangladeshi conglomerate Summit Group, has chartered the vessel from U.S. based Excelerate Energy for 15 years.“The process of feeding the gas from Summit FSRU to the national grid has started,” Nasrul Hamid, Bangladesh’s state minister for energy and power, told Reuters.About 3.75 MMTPA of LNG is expected to be imported through the facility, doubling the country’s LNG import capacity to 7.5 MMTPA once fully operational.

Source: LNG Global

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The move comes amid efforts to diversify Germany’s sources of gas imports, with three projects, including Brunsbuettel, competing to take gas from specialized tankers and distribute them in a lucrative market so far served mostly by pipelines.“This is another important step towards taking the investment decision (for Brunsbuettel),” Axpe and German LNG Terminal GmbH said in a statement.They did not disclose financial details and the length of a possible contract or cargo sizes.Axpo said its involvement reflected the desire to expand on nine years of LNG market activity and the shutdown of numerous coal-fired power plants in the medium term.Germany needs to lower its carbon footprint so supports more gas usage for power, heating and industry for an interim time until a greater reliance on renewables can be achieved.Brunsbuettel, also supported by Axpo peer RWE, is in the running for a building permit, alongside an LNG project at Wilhelmshaven, supported by Uniper, with a third terminal plan being pursued at chemical firm Dow’s Stade site.German LNG Terminal said it expected an investment decision for Brunsbuettel at the end of 2019.Germany’s government in March approved a plan that will likely spur investment decisions for LNG terminals, recognizing growing import requirements and readiness of suppliers like Qatar and the United States to get into the market.

https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/axpo-german-lng-terminal-project-group-seek-capacity-deal/

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The net income of the company by the end of 2018, after deduction of tax, increased by 68 per cent to reach $1.79 billion compared to $642 million by the end of 2017.In its annual report for 2018, the company affirmed that despite the growing operational activities and commercial businesses, the company managed to reduce its operational expenses by $9 million by the end of 2018 compared to the approved budget by the company, thanks to a series of cost optimization initiatives adopted by the company. The company’s contribution to taxes stood at $170 million in 2018.The company’s annual report indicated that the company’s LNG production rate hit 10.4 MMTPA compared to 8.60 MMT by the end of 2017. In terms of shipping and marketing, the total number of LNG cargoes loaded to the company’s expanding network of destinations around the world by the end of 2018 stood at 162. The shipment consisted of 111 cargoes of Oman LNG and 51 cargoes of Qalhat LNG while the total cargoes of compressed natural gas derivatives stood at 36.In January 2018, the 7-year Sales and Purchase Agreement (SPA) with BP Singapore, which supplies 1.1 MMTPA of LNG, was commissioned. As safety vigilance breeds excellence, the company continues to break safety milestones, which stood at nearly 30 million man-hours worked without Lost-Time Injury (LTI) and over 27 million kilometres driven without an LTI by year-end.The total revenues of Qalhat LNG stood at $1.23 billion during 2018 while shipping optimization achieved cost reductions of $23 million.Dr. Mohammed bin Hamad Al Rumhy, Minister of Oil and Gas, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Oman LNG said, “Our company entered 2018 with a resolve to disengage from the deflationary mindset embedded across the industry and to fully embrace the return of modest growth. And so, one year on, it is no complacency to reflect with satisfaction on how much that resolve has been rewarded.

https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/oman-lng-revenues-up-60-per-cent-as-output-prices-rise/[Edited]

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Project aimed to further develop one of the world’s largest offshore gas fields.The tender package, which was issued to world class contractors, apart from EPC of three LNG storage tanks, calls for compressors to recover tank boil off gas during storage and jetty boil off gas during LNG vessel loading; LNG rundown lines from the LNG trains to the LNG storage area; two additional LNG berths with an option for a third LNG berth; and loading and return lines from the LNG berths to the tanks.SaadSherida Al-Kaabi, the Minister of State for Energy Affairs, the President & CEO of Qatar Petroleum, said: “Issuing this tender package reflects Qatar Petroleum’s unique contracting strategy approach for the North Field Expansion Project. Under this strategy, we have identified the need for multiple EPC packages that can match the execution expertise in the EPC contracting community for specific scopes of work while providing the opportunity for multiple EPC contractors to participate.”He added: “The issuance of this tender package will culminate in the award of this EPC contract by February 2020.”In concluding his remarks, he said “this tender package is part of a strong drive to put the various NEF project components in place, including four mega LNG trains that would expand the State of Qatar’s LNG production from 77 million tons per annum to 110 million tons by 2024. This also includes the recently announced major LNG ship-building campaign expected to initially deliver 60 LNG carriers in support of the planned production expansion, with a potential to exceed 100 new LNG carriers over the next decade.”Qatargas is entrusted with executing this mega-project on behalf of Qatar Petroleum. 

https://www.oedigital.com/news/465922-qp-issues-tender-for-lng-facilities

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This achievement is the result of work carried out by all of the teams and project partners. Total’s commitment to Cameron LNG and its expansion is in line with our strategy to continue building a strong position in the US LNG market. With Cameron LNG start-up, we will achieve our target of being integrated along the gas value chain in the US since we are already a gas producer in the country”, commented Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Total. Total entered the Cameron LNG project through the acquisition of Engie’s upstream LNG business in 2018. Phase 1 of the Cameron LNG project of 13.5 MMTPA capacity includes three LNG trains of 4.5 MMTPA each. Construction is ongoing for trains 2 and 3 with first production expected by the turn of the year and mid-2020 respectively. The project is operated by Cameron LNG LLC jointly owned by Sempra Energy (50.2%), Total (16.6%), Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (16.6%) and Mitsubishi/NYK (16.6%). In addition, the Cameron LNG co-owners are currently discussing a potential expansion of the base project, already authorized by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), that would add two liquefaction trains of 4.5 Mtpa capacity each and two LNG storage tanks. Total, the Second-Largest Private Global LNG Player Total is the second-largest private global LNG player, with an overall LNG portfolio of around 40 MMMTPA by 2020 and a worldwide market share of 10%. With 21.8 MMT of LNG sold in 2018, the Group has solid and diversified positions across the LNG value chain. Through its stakes in liquefaction plants located in Qatar, Nigeria, Russia, Norway, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Australia, Angola and Yemen, the Group sells LNG in all global markets.

https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/usa-lng-production-starts-up-at-cameron-lng-export-terminal-in-louisiana/

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The hoisting and installation maneuver lasted approximately seven hours.The reconversion of the ferry, made afloat in Valencia, consists of changing its current two main engines, MAK 9M 43 C, to dual fuel engines, MAK 9M 46 DF, so it can run on LNG, in addition to conventional fuels. The adaptation process is expected to be completed by the end of June.The Abel Matutes ferry, which follows Baleària’s plan to renew its fleet so that nine of its ships run on natural gas by 2021, is the second vessel that undergoes this conversion process. The first was the Nápoles and will be followed by ferries Martín i Soler, Bahama Mama, Sicilia and HedyLamarr.Baleària is committed to incorporating LNG into its vessels, an initiative that began eight years ago and responds to criteria of social responsibility and economic profitability, anticipating the demanding regulations on polluting gases. By the end of 2021, the shipping company will have nine ships sailing with this clean energy, of which three will be newbuild projects (one of them is already sailing in the Mediterranean) and six will be the result of the conversion work that is being carried out in its fleet and that have a 20% subsidy of the European Union.Baleària is a pioneer in the promotion of LNG as a marine fuel in the Iberian Peninsula, a region that has experienced a great growth in the adoption of clean energy. In this extremely encouraging scenario, 

https://www.ngvjournal.com/s1-news/c7-lng-h2-blends/balearia-installs-lng-fuel-tanks-in-its-abel-matutes-ferry/

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The ‘Al Safliyah’, which can carry about 210,000 cubic meters of LNG, is on its way to Panama from the North Pacific after discharging a cargo from Qatar into Korea Gas Corp’s (KOGAS) Tongyeong terminal on April 21, shipping data in Refinitiv Eikon showed.“This is the first Q-Flex to transit the Panama Canal,” Jorge Quijano, chief executive of Panama Canal Authority told Reuters.It comes after the canal was expanded in mid-2018 to handle larger oil and gas tankers.“This size of vessel … could be deployed to carry LNG from the natural gas liquefaction plants in the U.S., Trinidad and Tobago and Peru,” Quijano said.The ship is on a long term charter to Qatargas, the world’s biggest LNG producer, according to LNG trading and broker sources. Qatargas did not respond to a query for comment.‘Q-Flex’ type tankers are able to carry up to 50% more volumes than conventional LNG tankers, and are typically used by Qatargas to export its LNG to Europe or Asia.The biggest LNG carriers, known as ‘Q-Max’, are able to carry up to 266,000 cubic meters of LNG, but are too large to use the canal.“If it can successfully transit Panama even if empty, it could in the future be used for triangulations where it discharges a cargo in Japan or Korea and then from there goes to load a new cargo in the U.S. Gulf,” said Ralph Leszczynski, head of research at ship broker Banchero Costa in Singapore.Quijano said 687 LNG tankers have transited the Panama Canal since July 2016 following an earlier expansion. Volumes rose to 11.5 MMT last year from just 300,000 tonnes in 2016.“We expect further growth this year of another 22% over last year,” he added.

https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/worlds-second-biggest-lng-tanker-class-vessel-to-transit-panama-canal-for-first-time/

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The name of the company was not disclosed due to confidentiality reasons.So far this year, Samsung Heavy has won orders to build eight LNG ships and one floating production storage and offloading vessel, which amounted to a combined $2.6 billion. It aims to book a combined $7.8 billion in orders this year.According to British shipbuilding industry tracker Clarkson Research, Samsung Heavy has won orders to build eight LNG ships out of a total of 15 orders placed this year.

https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/samsung-heavy-wins-190m-order-for-lng-ship/

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The bunkering operation involved the reload of 2,000 cu m of LNG onto the small-scale tanker at a newly-modified secondary jetty of Singapore LNG (SLNG) terminal, followed by a ship-to-ship transfer to the receiving heavy lift vessel.The operation was performed by Pavilion Energy’s subsidiary Pavilion Gas, a licensed LNG bunker supplier in Singapore.“Pavilion Energy’s first commercial ship-to-ship LNG bunkering operations in Singapore demonstrates our strong commitment and capability to deliver a comprehensive suite of LNG bunker supply solutions to Singapore and the region,” said Frederic H. Barnaud, group CEO of Pavilion Energy, wholly-owned by Singapore government’s investment firm Temasek.In 2017, Pavilion Energy demonstrated its first truck-to-ship bunkering capabilities before expanding its bunker logistics with the charter of its first LNG bunker tanker newbuild in February 2019. The 12,000 cu m GTT Mark III Flex membrane LNG bunker tanker is scheduled for delivery by 2021 from Sembcorp Marine shipyard.Tan Soo Koong, CEO of SLNG Corporation, said: “We strongly believe that LNG will become the worldwide fuel of choice for bunkering in the long term, and SLNG is well-positioned to facilitate this development. We are keen to work with all stakeholders and invest in infrastructure as necessary, to help grow LNG bunkering here.”

https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/news/asia/singapore-port-completes-first-ship-to-ship-lng-bunkering.html

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