JANUARY 2020

Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia & Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey announce the official launch of the 31.5 bcm TurkStream pipeline across the Black Sea.

FID on 8.0m t/y NLNG Train 7 at Bonny Island, Nigeria is signed by partners NNPC, Total, Shell & ENI.

The fifth LNG storage tank with a capacity of 180,000 cm is commissioned at 7.2m t/y Zeebrugge LNG import terminal.

Qatar Petroleum signs an SPA with Kuwait Petroleum for up to 3.0m t/y of LNG for 15 years to Al-Zour from 2022.

ENI announces Mahani field discovered in Sharjah, Area B, the first onshore find for 37 years.

FEBRUARY 2020

CNOOC invokes force majeure to suspend contracts with at least 3 LNG suppliers following the outbreak of the Coronavirus in Wuhan, Hubei province.

Bahrain completes commissioning of its 5.57m t/y LNG import terminal.

Indonesia’s Ministry of Energy starts construction of a 225km pipeline that will supply gas for industries between Cirebon, West Java & Semarang, Central Java.

BP agrees to take 2.45m t/y of LNG from Phase I of the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project for an initial term of up to 20 years, from 2022.

Saudi Arabia plans to invest 412 billion riyals to develop unconventional natural gas reserves in the eastern Jafurah field.

MARCH 2020

LNG Canada temporarily reduces its workforce by 50%, ExxonMobil delays FID on its 15.2m t/y Rovuma

LNG project in Mozambique and India starts a 21 day nationwide lockdown due to disruption caused by the Coronavirus.

The planned 7.8m t/y Jordan Cove LNG export plant receives FERC approval.

Gastrade secures 2.6 bcm/y of capacity bookings for its planned floating LNG import terminal at Alexandroupolis, Greece.

GolarPower signs a protocol of intentions with the state government of Pernambuco to develop an LNG import terminal in the port of Suape.

Neptune Energy produces first gas from the L5a-D4 well, the deepest in the Dutch N Sea.

APRIL 2020

Shell exits the planned 16.45m t/y Lake Charles LNG export project, leaving Energy Transfer to evaluate the plan.

Sinopec starts construction of 5 LNG storage tanks as part of the 4.8m t/y Phase II expansion at the Tianjin LNG import terminal, for completion by end 2021.

ONGC achieved early first gas from the KG-DWN-98/2 project in Krishna Godavari basin, the largest subsea project in India.

Algeria's state-owned Sonatrach completes construction of the 4 bcm/y GR7 gas pipeline, linking the fields of Hassi Ba Hamou & Hassi Mouina in the south with the Hassi R'Mel hub.

Qatar Petroleum commences drilling at North Field East, the latest phase of expansion.

MAY 2020

NextDecade delays FID on its 27.0m t/y Rio Grande LNG export project until 2021.

Australia's LNG Limited sells its 8.0m t/y Magnolia LNG project and patented liquefaction technology to Global Energy Megatrend.

Sinopec starts construction of its 6.0m t/y Longkou LNG import terminal in Shandong province, with 6 x 220,000cm LNG storage tanks in Phase I for completion in 2022.

Freeport LNG begins operations at T3 of its 15.0m t/y LNG export plant.

LNG buyers cancel cargoes as US natural gas becomes the world's most expensive.

ENI & Total postpone planned exploration in the eastern Mediterranean.

JUNE 2020

Qatar Petroleum signs a $19.2 billion LNG shipbuilding deal with Daewoo, Hyundai & Samsung for construction through 2027.

The 105km offshore section of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline is completed.

Novatek contracts Daewoo to build 2 massive FSU's to serve as transshipment terminals near Murmansk and Kamchatka, to optimise LNG export from its Arctic LNG plants.

Hungary announces plans to triple the capacity of its gas pipeline to Slovakia to over 5 bcm/y by 2024.

Hudong Zhonghua delivers the worlds largest LNG bunkering vessel, the 18,600cm Gas Agility to Mitsui OSK.

JULY 2020

Chevron announces it is to sell its stake in Australia's North West Shelf LNG.

ENI announces a significant discovery offshore Vietnam, with the Ken Bau well in Block 114.

Construction starts on the 18.9 bcm/y southern portion of the China-Russia East gas pipeline, from Yongqing to Shanghai for completion in 2025.

Cyprus starts construction of its first LNG import facility at Vasilikos, the island's largest and most expensive energy project.

Chevron announces it has entered into a definitive agreement to buy Noble Energy for a total enterprise value, including debt, of $13 billion.

AUGUST 2020

Turkey's President Erdogan announces a major gas find in the Black Sea, 170km offshore. The Tuna-1 field is Turkey's largest ever gas discovery at 405 bcm.

The 120km, 1.5 bcm/y Romania to Moldova pipeline is completed.

EcoBunker Shipping launches its first LNG bunkering vessel at Fukuoka in Japan, the 2,450cm EcoBunker Tokyo Bay.

Hudong Zhonghua holds a keel laying ceremony for the second 18,600cm bunkering vessel owned by Mitsui OSK, scheduled for delivery in 2021.

SEPTEMBER 2020

Shell submits plans to resume oil & gas exploration in waters off Alaska's northern coast, 5 years after the company abandoned previous efforts.

Total delivers its first carbon-neutral LNG shipment, to CNOOC at its 7.0m t/y Guangdong Dapeng LNG terminal.

The US' FERC grants Freeport LNG until 2026 to complete its planned 5.0m t/y fourth train after FID is delayed until 2021.

Novatek announces an order for 10 Arc7 ice-class LNG vessels from the Zvezda shipyard in Russia, for its 19.8m t/y Arctic LNG 2 project, from 2023.

Hokkaido Electric receives its first US LNG cargo at the 1.46m t/y Ishikari terminal.

Shell signs a supply deal with Hungary for LNG to be delivered via Croatia LNG at Krk.

OCTOBER 2020

PipeChina becomes operator of 5 large existing LNG terminals and a further 2 under construction, 6 from CNOOC and 1 from Sinopec.

Gazprom announces a new discovery at the offshore Leningradskoye gas & condensate field in the Kara Sea. Reserves are estimated at 1.9 trillion cm.

Denmark grants permission to operate the NordStream 2 pipeline on its continental shelf, though construction is yet to resume.

Delfin Midstream completes FEED for the first planned floating LNG export facility in the US. The vessel is expected to have a nameplate capacity of 3.5m t/y.

The Philippines lifts a moratorium on oil & gas exploration in the South China Sea that could lead to it creating a JV with China to explore for resources.

Qatar Petroleum announces the discovery of gas & condensate at its Luiperd prospect in Block 11B/12B in the Outeniqua basin, 175km offshore South Africa.

NOVEMBER 2020

Engie pulls out of a proposed agreement to secure LNG from NextDecade's Rio Grande LNG as it was at odds with its energy transition attempts.

ADNOC & Total deliver first unconventional gas from the Ruwais Diyab concession, 200km from Abu Dhabi city.

CNOOC announces the Liuhua 29-1 gasfield, located in the South China Sea has commenced production.

Petronas officially launches its LNG bunkering business by completing its first operation at Pasir Gudang, Johor with the 7,500cm Avenir Advantage.

Energean announces a significant increase in reserves of its offshore Israel assets, Karish, Karish North & Tanin.

BP starts production at the Qattameya field offshore Egypt in the North Damietta concession, Mediterranean Sea. The field is tied back to the Ha'py development by a new 50km pipeline.

Total delays start-up of the $3 billion redevelopment of the Tyra gasfield, offshore Denamrk, until 2023.

Sempra Energy takes FID on the 3.25m t/y Energia Costa Azul LNG Phase I in Baja California, Mexico.

DECEMBER 2020

Gasum completes its first LNG bunkering operation in Emden, Germany using the 5,800cm Coralius.

China brings the middle section of the China-Russia East gas pipeline into operation, the 1,110km section from Changling, Jilin to Yongqing, Hebei.

Australian utility AGL Energy makes a final bid for approval for the long awaited 2.0m t/y Crib Point LNG import terminal in Victoria.

Vopak and ExxonMobil sign an MoU to conduct a feasibility study for an LNG import terminal in South Africa.

Rosneft discovers a large new arctic gasfield in the Kara Sea, the Marshal Georgy Zhukov with estimated gas reserves of 800 billion cm.

Denmark announces it has decided to phase out gas production in the North Sea by 2050 and has cancelled all future licensing rounds.

JANUARY 2021

Croatia becomes the latest country in Europe to import LNG with the inauguration of the 1.45m t/y LNG Croatia on Krk Island.

Shell resumes production at the 3.6m t/y Prelude FLNG following a series of setbacks that halted output for almost a year.

Taiwan’s CPC Corp receives its first cargo from the 9.0m t/y Corpus Christi LNG plant under its long-term SPA with Cheniere Energy.

Keppel Offshore & Marine delivers Singapore’s first LNG bunkering vessel, the 7,500cm FueLNG Bellina.

SNOC and Eni announces the start of production from the Mahani gasfield in Area B, the first new onshore discovery in Sharjah for 37 years.

India commissions the 450km Kochi-Mangalore pipeline, transporting gas from the 5.0m t/y Kochi LNG import terminal to Karnataka.

FEBRUARY 2021

Qatar Petroleum takes FID on the six mega-train North Field East (NFE) expansion project, with a total cost of $28.75 billion, making it one of the energy industry’s largest investments in recent years.

Novatek signs an SPA with China’s Shenergy Group for 3.0m t/y of LNG from the 19.8m t/y Arctic LNG 2 project for 15 years, to be delivered to terminals in China from 2023.

Equinor discovers gas in PL 923 with Rover North near the Troll field in the Norwegian North Sea.

Qatar Petroleum signs a long-term agreement with Vitol to supply 1.25m t/y of LNG to Bangladesh, with deliveries to start later in the year.

Petronas’ PFLNG Dua achieves first production of LNG from its 1.5m t/y vessel on the Rotan field, its second offshore Malaysia in the South China Sea.

Chevron signs a six-year deal with Pavilion Energy of Singapore for 0.5m t/y of LNG beginning in 2023. Each cargo delivered will be accompanied by a statement on the carbon emissions generated from the wellhead to delivery at the discharge port.