Environmental groups in Japan and Australia are calling on Japan’s export credit agency not to offer support for a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) project near Darwin, as the fossil-fuel reliant nation pledges to become a global leader on fighting climate change alongside the new US administration.
Much of the gas from the proposed Barossa LNG project, being developed by Adelaide-based energy company Santos, is earmarked for export to Japan. The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) disclosed in February that it is considering some form of support for the development.
Japanese behemoth Mitsubishi has already struck an agreement with Santos to buy 1.5 million tonnes of gas per annum from the project, and Japanese power company JERA will eventually have a 12.5% stake in the enterprise.