KUALA LUMPUR (May 20): Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) via its subsidiary Petronas LNG Ltd recently concluded a sale and purchase agreement (SPA) with Tiger Clean Energy Ltd (TCEL) for the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to TCEL’s LNG ISO tank filling facility at Bintulu, Sarawak.

In a statement today, Petronas said TCEL will deliver the LNG to China as part of the agreement. The LNG will then be distributed to remote locations using TCEL’s ISO tanks.

"This term sale which facilitates the delivery of LNG via LNG ISO tanks is a customer-centric and pragmatic solution undertaken by Petronas that supports and enables greater accessibility to cleaner energy, particularly for remote customers located away from physical LNG pipelines and customers with smaller parcel requirements. Furthermore, delivery of LNG via ISO tanks can also act as an agile back-up solution to meet excess demand with pace as compared to large vessel deliveries which may be restricted by rigid delivery schedules.

"Due to the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak followed by movement restriction controls implemented globally, the signing of the SPA was conducted through a video tele-conference, which is the first LNG deal of its kind concluded and commemorated on the virtual sphere for Petronas,” Petronas said.

Petronas vice president of LNG marketing and trading Ahmad Adly Alias said, in the statement, the unconventional term deal with TCEL is a customer-centric solution by Petronas as it goes beyond traditional LNG arrangements and includes a modern approach to delivering LNG that enables greater access to cleaner energy.

“Through this modern approach in delivering LNG, we established a virtual pipeline that effectively enables LNG to reach off-grid customers who are not directly served by the natural gas distribution system in China. We achieved this through our unique LNG business model, whereby our solutions are customised for market adaptability and customer requirements in a rapidly evolving industry,” he said.