Consortium seeks to produce e-natural gas on Gulf Coast

Houston-based Sempra Infrastructure has joined a consortium of Japanese companies to evaluate producing e-natural gas in the U.S. Gulf Coast.

The consortium is comprised of Tokyo Gas Co., Osaka Gas Co., Toho Gas Co.. and Mitsubishi Corp. If the project is successful, it could be the first link of an international supply chain of liquified e-natural gas, a synthetic gas produced from renewable hydrogen and carbon dioxide.

The consortium has been conducting preliminary feasibility work on the project since 2022. With the addition of Sempra Infrastructure, the companies seek to advance the energy transition through the global market of liquified e-natural gas.

The proposed project is anticipated to produce 130,000 tonnes of e-natural gas per year that would be liquified to become liquified e-natural gas via Mitsubishi Corporation’s tolling capacity at the Cameron LNG terminal, seen here, in Southwest Louisiana and exported to Japan, where the product is commonly referred to as e-methane. The proposed project is anticipated to include the production or procurement of green hydrogen, as well as the construction of facilities to produce the e-natural gas.

“Sempra Infrastructure is excited to bring its essential infrastructure development experience to this collaboration with Tokyo Gas, Osaka Gas, Toho Gas and Mitsubishi Corp. The project would allow existing natural gas infrastructure, including the global liquefied natural gas supply chain and the gas distribution systems in nations across the world, to be used as the backbone for the delivery of a long-term, carbon-neutral fuel,” said Justin Bird, CEO of Sempra Infrastructure. “Sempra Infrastructure has strong strategic alignment with the goals of the consortium and is well-positioned to support this innovative opportunity by building on what we do well: developing energy infrastructure that provides access to safe, secure, affordable and lower and zero-carbon energy for our global partners.”

The proposed project is anticipated to produce 130,000 tonnes of e-natural gas per year that would be liquified to become liquified e-natural gas via Mitsubishi Corp.’s tolling capacity at the Cameron LNG terminal in Southwest Louisiana and exported to Japan, where the product is commonly referred to as e-methane. The proposed project is anticipated to include the production or procurement of green hydrogen, as well as the construction of facilities to produce the e-natural gas.

The U.S. Department of Energy and Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry are currently implementing a Memorandum of Cooperation in the field of carbon capture, utilization and storage, conversion and recycling, and carbon dioxide removal. This proposed project would meet many of the objectives in the memorandum, and could complement it, should the policy frameworks recognize e-natural gas as a carbon-neutral fuel.

Successful development of the proposed project is contingent upon completing the required commercial agreements, securing and/or maintaining all necessary permits, obtaining financing, and reaching a final investment decision, among other factors and considerations.