Kansai Electric received its maiden LNG cargo from Australia's Pluto project at its Himeji import terminal in western Japan, the utility said.
Kansai Electric received some 70,000 mt of LNG on the Woodside Donaldson, which has a loading capacity of 165,000 cubic meters, the power utility said. The vessel left Dampier port in Western Australia on May 12, it added.
Osaka-based Kansai Electric has a 5% stake in the Pluto LNG project and a contract to import 1.75 million-2 million mt/year of LNG from the project until March 2025.
Woodside plans to expand the Pluto project, based on its own discovered or third-party gas resources. The expansion would involve the addition of a second LNG production train at the site.
The Pluto gas field was discovered in the Carnarvon Basin, about 190 km (118 miles) northwest of Karratha, in 2005. The project was approved for development in July 2007, with an original budget of A$12 billion (around $12 billion at current rates), including pre-approval spending of A$800 million.
The initial phase of the project comprises an offshore platform in 85 meters of water, connected to five subsea wells. Gas is piped through a 180 km trunkline to the onshore facilities.
Pluto is expected to contribute 17 million-21 million barrels of oil equivalent to Woodside's production in 2012, taking the company's overall output for the year to between 56 million boe and 60 million boe.
Source: Platts