NLNG trains 1, 2, 3 out of contract from 2022

Some of Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG’s) existing gas contracts will expire by 2022 at which time buyers of LNG from Nigeria would no longer take deliveries of the product, except new contracts are signed or new buyers found.

Specifically, trains 1, 2 and 3 of NLNG plant on Bonny Island, Rivers State, which commenced operation in 1999, would be out of contract in five years’ time.

This has, consequently, prompted fresh efforts by the company to seek new buyers for the trains’ products across the world to replace some of the existing customers whose contracts will expire by 2022.

The contracts that will expire by 2022 take gas supplies from Trains 1, 2 and 3, which collectively produce nine million tonnes of LNG a year.

The Bonny Island plant of NLNG has six trains – 1, 2,3,4,5 and 6 – producing a total of 22 million tonnes per year.

Reuters quoted a senior official of the company as saying that initial responses from buyers have been positive.

“Trains 1-3 are coming back to the market as they are out of contract by 2022. We started to remarket today. There are some who are guaranteed to buy,” the official said with no further details.

Trains are units that freeze natural gas into liquid form for export on ships.

Trains 1 and 2, which are referred to as its base projects were financed by its shareholders with $3.6 billion, while Train 3 referred to as expansion project was financed with $1.8 billion.

The company has a six-train complex of 22 metric tonnes per annum, mtpa, LNG nameplate production capacity, and 5mtpa Natural Gas Liquids, NGLs, production capacity, and has delivered over 3,000 cargoes of LNG to customers across the world.