Osaka Gas, Japan’s second-largest city gas provider, has no immediate plans to purchase more liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States, its president said on Wednesday. The company currently has enough supplies to meet its needs until around the middle of the next decade.
This statement comes amid US President Donald Trump’s push to increase energy exports to Asian countries, including the promotion of Alaska’s LNG project. The project, which aims to export 20 million tons of LNG per year, would transport gas through a $44 billion pipeline from Alaska to Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.
Osaka Gas President Masataka Fujiwara explained that the company is not in a position to increase LNG purchases from the US at this time. “Even if we were suddenly asked to buy more LNG from the US, we do not have the capacity to do so immediately,” Fujiwara told reporters.
Fujiwara did not comment on the Alaska LNG project specifically, as he said there was not enough publicly available information. He also mentioned that he did not expect to meet with any officials from the project during a scheduled visit to Japan this week.
Currently, Osaka Gas sources LNG from Freeport LNG in Texas. The company remains focused on maintaining a diversified fuel procurement strategy. Additionally, Osaka Gas recently signed a 15-year sales and purchase agreement with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) to buy LNG from its Ruwais project.
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