New LNG imports to bring to Singapore gas from US, Australia and Russia, among others

THE start of the new tranche of liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports next year will bring to Singapore gas from the US, Australia, Norway, Russia, Qatar and Brunei.

These countries are part of the global LNG supply portfolios of Pavilion Energy and Shell, which were earlier this week appointed as the importers for the new tranche of LNG into Singapore, said Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) S Iswaran.

"This diversity of supply will further strengthen our energy security," he said on Wednesday at the Gas Asia Summit, part of the annual Singapore International Energy Week.

Giving further updates on the import of spot LNG cargoes which the government hopes to allow from next year, Mr Iswaran said that the Energy Market Authority (EMA) will consult the industry for a second time later this quarter as it continues the process of drawing up the rules.

Meanwhile, to support the development of a secondary gas trading market, first announced in 2014, the Energy Market Company (a subsidiary of the Singapore Exchange) in September launched a Gas Trading Board as an interim platform to facilitate domestic bilateral gas trades.

The first trade was made between Pavilion Gas and PacificLight Power last week, said Mr Iswaran. "The industry's feedback and experience from using this platform will help the development of a successful secondary gas trading market."