Adnoc signs agreement to supply Osaka Gas from Ruwais LNG project

Cargoes will be shipped to destination ports of Japanese utility and its Singapore-based subsidiary

An Adnoc LNG vessel. The agreement supports the company's global expansion, reinforcing its position as a lower-carbon LNG supplier. Photo: Adnoc

Adnoc has signed a sales and purchase agreement with Osaka Gas for the supply of up to 800,000 tonnes per annum (mtpa) of liquefied natural gas from its Ruwais LNG project in Abu Dhabi.

The deal, which marks the first long-term LNG sales agreement between Adnoc and the Japanese utility, firms up a previous agreement signed between the two companies in August last year, Adnoc said on Thursday.

Under the agreement, LNG cargoes will be shipped to the destination ports of Osaka Gas and its Singapore-based subsidiary, Osaka Gas Energy Supply and Trading.

The agreement, the fourth of its kind for Ruwais LNG, supports Adnoc’s global expansion, reinforcing its position as a lower-carbon LNG supplier, with 8 mtpa of its 9.6 mtpa capacity already secured through long-term deals in Asia and Europe, the company said.

“This agreement with Osaka Gas reinforces our long-standing energy partnership with Japan and supports our strategy to expand our global LNG footprint,” said Rashid Al Mazrouei, Adnoc's senior vice president for marketing.

Adnoc Gas is set to acquire Adnoc’s majority stake in the Ruwais LNG project, which is scheduled to start in the second half of 2028.

“This new contract, with such a trusted LNG provider, will help ensure a stable energy supply for our customers,” said Keiji Takemori, executive vice president of Osaka Gas.

Japan, which is the world’s fourth-largest economy and second-biggest LNG importer, has been securing long-term LNG contracts from countries such as the US, Australia, Qatar and the UAE.

Last month, Adnoc Gas signed a $450 million agreement with Jera Global Markets, the trading division of Japanese utility Jera, to supply LNG from 2025 to 2028. The supercooled fuel will be supplied from the Adnoc subsidiary's Das Island liquefaction facility, which has a production capacity of about 6 million tonnes per annum.

The US, under the new administration of President Donald Trump, has been actively promoting its LNG exports, particularly towards key markets like Japan and India.

Last month, Mr Trump issued an order for the US to resume processing export permit applications for new LNG projects, reversing a ban placed by the previous administration.

Japan is interested in securing a long-term LNG supply from the US state of Alaska, which is moving forward with a long-delayed $44 billion LNG project, a senior American official told The National last month.

Japan imported 65.9 million tonnes of LNG in 2024, an annual drop of 0.4 per cent, according to the country's Finance Ministry.

Despite a 7 per cent projected decline in LNG demand by 2031, Japan will require additional supplies by 2028 to meet domestic demand, as the market is currently over-contracted with excess volumes traded internationally, Wood Mackenzie said in a report last year.

Shell's 2025 LNG Outlook forecasts a 60 per cent increase in global demand for the fuel by 2040, driven by Asian economic growth, emissions reductions in industry and transport, and the rise of AI.

The consumption of the fuel – considered a cleaner alternative to coal and crude oil – is expected to reach 630 million tonnes to 718 million tonnes a year by 2040, compared with 407 million tonnes last year, Shell said.