Tuesday, March 15, 2011

As Shell Diverts NatGas to Japan: Does Cheniere Energy also get a boost? (RDS; LNG)

Yesterday we saw Gazprom getting a couple tankers underway, here's another biggie.
From the Financial Times' Energy Source blog:


Shell has begun to ship liquid natural gas cargoes into Tokyo to help meet their energy demands in the aftermath of the earthquake and subsequent nuclear crisis. The first batch into the Tokyo Bay area was agreed on Monday night, and significantly for global LNG prices, it had originally been intended for elsewhere.

This was confirmed by the CEO Peter Voser at Shell’s strategy day, where unsurprisingly, much of the focus from journalists was on recent events in Japan and the Middle East. As far as Japan’s effect on gas prices, Simon Henry, the company’s chief financial officer, had this to say:
Last night, we agreed the first cargo into the Tokyo Bay area. We will not be taking advantage of the short term pricing implications of that. ...MORE
And from MarketBeat:

Japan needs alternative energy sources amid its nuclear crisis, and that could give a boost to firms that can ship in more liquefied natural gas. The crisis may also be helping one company that hopes to be exporting LNG down the road.

Shares of Cheniere Energy Inc., which owns natural gas terminals along the Gulf Coast, were up about 2% at 8.45 in recent trading, and have risen 15% since their closing price of 7.31 on Thursday, the day before the earthquake struck Japan....MORE