Natural Gas Daily: September 17th, 2020

Japan's LNG Imports in August Drop 4%

Japan’s LNG imports in August were 5.84mn metric tons, down 4.3% yr/yr, according to the provisional data released by the country’s finance ministry on September 16.

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• Despite decline in recent months owing to the coronavirus outbreak, Japan remains the world's biggest LNG importer.

• Japan’s LNG imports in July were 6.03mn metric tons, down 11.5% yr/yr.

TAP Still on Track for 2020 Launch

The Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) running across Greece and Albania to Italy is almost complete and will ship its first gas to European customers in the fourth quarter of 2020 as planned, a spokesman for its operator told NGW.

• TAP represents the third and final section of a network of pipelines to carry gas from the offshore Shah Deniz field westwards. The Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (Tanap) that connects with TAP at the Greek-Turkish border was completed last year.

China's Gas Output in August Up 3.7%

China's natural gas production in August was 14.2bn m³, up 3.7% yr/yr, as per data published on September 15 by the country’s statistics bureau.

• The biggest shake-up of China’s oil and gas industry in two decades is underway after Beijing finally kickstarted its long-awaited pipeline reform with the multi-billion-dollar transfer of major energy infrastructure assets to the country’s national pipeline company.

• Chinese gas imports via pipeline and in the form of LNG were up 3.3% yr/yr in the first eight months of the year, marking a significant slowdown in growth as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic's impact on demand.

German E.ON Sets 2040 Carbon Neutrality Goal (Update)

German utility E.ON has set new targets for carbon reductions, it said in its response to the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen's state of the union address September 16.

• A spokesman said this was not only from an altruistic desire to make the world a better place, but it was good business too for the major European network operator. Every photovoltaic cell, every windfarm, needs a grid connection, he said.

Major Chinese Gas Pipe Hits Operational Milestone

Sinopec-operated Ordos-Anping-Cangzhou gas pipeline in north China has crossed the milestone of transporting over 10bn m³ of gas since it was commissioned in November 2018, the company said.

• It passes through 23 counties and eight cities in Hebei and Henan provinces, connecting with production centres in the Ordos basin and Sinopec’s Tianjin LNG receiving terminal.

India Approves first CNG Import Terminal

The government of the western Indian state of Gujarat has approved the letter of intent for developing country’s first compressed natural gas (CNG) import terminal, it said on September 15 in a statement.

• Gujarat is already the main hub for Indian LNG imports, hosting three operational terminals.