This week in energy: all eyes on Australia and big news from Indonesia

The Asia Natural Gas and Energy Association (ANGEA) regularly compiles a selection of stories from the energy world that have caught our eye.??????????????????????????????

Given the region in which we operate –?and our purpose?– this collection of content is largely Asia-focused. But we also look further afield, knowing that developments, trends and technology from around the world also have an impact across our region.?

Australian (and Asian) energy in the spotlight

There was plenty of discussion this week about Asia's future energy landscape - and much of it came thousands of kilometres away at the annual Australian Energy Producers Conference and Exhibition in Perth.

The conference offered a platform to showcase the best of the Australian energy industry and to discuss opportunities and challenges, both current and emerging.

It was very clear that Asia's energy needs are front-of-mind for Australian producers, with Shell highlighting the likelihood of strong growth in LNG demand from nations such as the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Bangladesh.

It was also evident that the Australian regulatory system remains a source of concern for gas industry operators and their investors and customers. While the recent publication of the Australian Future Gas Strategy was welcome news, delayed progress for streamlined offshore approval processes has led to further uncertainty.

As Meg O'Neill, CEO of Woodside Energy told the event, in the cases of Australia's domestic energy security and Asia's LNG needs, "the best solution to a shortage is always supply, supply, supply" - but developing large-scale projects to address this requires regulatory clarity.

One of the strongest voices of endorsement for the Australian gas industry came from Western Australian Premier Roger Cook, who specifically noted the importance of the country's LNG to Asia's decarbonisation aspirations.

"Last I looked, we were trying to save the planet, not trying to save Western Australia. Therefore we really do need to double down on making sure we understand the important role that gas will play as part of that incredibly important journey."

Overall, the AEP Conference and surrounding events offered a valuable opportunity to engage with key stakeholders and hear some important insights. A significant focus on carbon capture and storage (CCS) was particularly encouraging, given the likely future impact of this technology and the associated value chains that are already starting to form between Australia and Asia.

Indonesia's Abadi LNG now has a starting date

Some very positive news for long-term regional LNG supply and also Indonesia's domestic gas situation, with the long-awaited Abadi Project now set to start shipping by January 2030.

The 9.5 million mt/year project - which counts INPEX Corporation , PT Pertamina (Persero) and PETRONAS among its shareholders - has been in the pipeline for more than 20 years and the subject of several development plans.

In confirming the production timeline, Indonesia's Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Arifin Tasrif, gave a wide-ranging interview to S&P Global Commodity Insights , which covered:

• the need for ongoing gas exploration
• the importance of natural gas to plans to reduce coal use and expand renewable energy
• advancement of the country's nascent carbon capture and storage industry.

Read the full story: https://bit.ly/3VclJaP

Another LNG delivery for Vietnam

This might have to become a regular feature!

Vietnam's Thi Vai terminal has now taken delivery of its third LNG shipment for 2024 and its fourth since being launched last year.

Thi Vai, which required four years of construction and commissioning, was Vietnam's first operational import facility and is central to plans to have LNG supply nearly 15 per cent of the country's power generation by 2030.

Read more: https://bit.ly/3wDS15b

Examining Japan's need for energy security

The importance that Japan places on energy security - and particularly the reliability of LNG supply - is often referenced in the media.

But seldom is it explained as thoroughly and with as much relevance as an article published this week by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)

It's not a short read but it's a very worthwhile one, covering Japan's unique energy challenges and also the pragmatic approach it is taking to decarbonisation.

Read the full article: https://bit.ly/4dSTVja

World's biggest direct air capture facility switched on

It's not very often that we report energy news from Iceland but Europe's most sparsely populated nation is also home to some exciting developments in carbon capture and storage.

Already the site of the Orca direct air capture (DAC) facility, Iceland is now the location of its relative, Mammoth - a groundbreaking plant that could eventually "vacuum" as much as 36,000 tonnes of CO? out of the atmosphere each year.

Mammoth has just been switched on and learnings from its operations will be applied at other facilities around the world, including three megatonne DAC hubs being developed by Climeworks and partners in the US.

Read more: https://bit.ly/3wM6Rqm

ANGEA?is an industry association representing LNG and natural gas producers, energy buyers, suppliers and companies in APAC. Based in Singapore, it works in partnership with governments and societies across the region to deliver reliable and secure energy solutions that achieve national economic, energy security, social and environmental objectives and meet global climate goals.