In a statement Mitsubishi said, “[We] will sign a 15-year term contract to buy liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Oman, with the aim of exporting the fuel to the United States. [We plan] to buy 800,000 tonnes per year starting in 2006.”
“We are mainly looking at the US market. Mitsubishi intends to extend its global LNG trading business to the United States, where LNG demand is expected to grow rapidly,” added the firm.
According to the latest figures released by the ASEAN Centre for Energy, LNG imports to the US are expected to rise to 99 million tones in the next 20 years or so.
According to Itochu, “[We will] buy 700,000 tonnes per year from Qalhat LNG over 20 years starting in 2006. The company plans to trade LNG to tap into rising global demand for the fuel.”
In a statement Osaka Gas said, “[The Company will] buy 800,000 tonnes of LNG per year from Qalhat LNG over 17 years starting in 2009.”
Neither Itochu nor Osaka Gas provided any further details.
