TotalEnergies, TES, Osaka Gas, Toho Gas, and ITOCHU have signed a Joint Development and Operating Agreement, granting the Japanese companies a combined 33.3% stake in the Live Oak project -- a large-scale facility to produce electric natural gas (e-NG) also known as e-methane, initiated by TotalEnergies and TES and currently under development in Nebraska, United States. Following the agreement, TotalEnergies and Toho Gas will each maintain a 33.35 % stake in the project. The partners are now preparing the Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) phase, targeting a capacity of approximately 250 MW of electrolysis and 75 ktpa of methanation.
The project, subject to a Final Investment decision in 2027, is scheduled to begin commercial operations by 2030, with plans to export e-NG to Japan. Osaka Gas and Toho Gas will be the primary offtakers. This project helps the Japanese gas majors in achieving their goal of injecting 1% carbon neutral gas (such as e-NG) into the gas grid by 2030.
The agreement builds on the strategic partnership established between TotalEnergies and TEC in 2023 to pioneer at scale production of e-NG. The Live Oak project will leverage Nebraska's abundant biogenic CO2 resources, captured from bioethanol plants, and the growing renewable power generation capacity in the United States. The participation of Osaka Gas, Toho gas, and ITOCHU (as a coordinator of Japanese companies), underscores their commitment to decarbonization with the adoption of e-NG and positions Live Oak as the leading project for carbon-neutral gas production for Japan.
e-NG is a synthetic gas produced from renewable hydrogen and CO2. Chemically identical to conventional natural gas, e-NG can be seamlessly integrated into existing LNG infrastructure--liquefaction, transport, regasification, and distribution--without any alterations to consumer equipment.
Toho Gas Co Ltd is a company primarily engaged in the gas business, construction and equipment and other businesses. The Company operates in three business segments. The Gas segment is engaged in the manufacture, supply and sale of gas, the reading of gas meters and the provision of gas charge recovery services. The Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), Electricity and Other Energy segment is engaged in the electricity business, the sale of liquefied natural gas (LNG), the supply of heat, the sale of LPG and LPG equipment, the provision of LPG piping works, as well as the sale of coke and petroleum products. The Construction and Equipment segment is engaged in the provision of piping works for gas supply and the sale of gas equipment. The other businesses include LNG entrusted processing, the leasing and operation of real estate, the design and construction and the provision of utility service for plants and facilities, the sale of household equipment and others.
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