First Gen’s Batangas FSRU gets first Qatari LNG cargo

The 162,000-cbm FSRU BW Batangas, owned by BW LNG and chartered by First Gen, received the cargo from the 145,700-cbm Simaisma.

First Gen’s executive VP and chief commercial officer, Jonathan Russell, announced the arrival of the first Qatari LNG cargo in a social media post on Monday.

He said the LNG cargo was supplied by QatarEnergy LNG, a unit of state-owned QatarEnergy and the operator of the giant Ras Laffan LNG complex.

“As we head into the hot summer months, this latest delivery will ensure that First Gen Corporation’s power plants will have LNG when needed and the Philippines will have energy security,” Russell said.

According to First Gen’s website, the company issued a tender for one LNG cargo in February for delivery during the summer season.

Batangas FSRU

Before this shipment, the FSRU BW Batangas received a cargo of LNG from Shell’s QCLNG plant in October last year.

Shell also supplied the first LNG cargo for commissioning purposes to First Gen’s FSRU-based LNG terminal in August 2023, while other suppliers include Trafigura, TotalEnergies, and CNOOC.

Earlier this year, Japan’s city gas supplier and LNG importer, Tokyo Gas, acquired a 20 percent stake in First Gen LNG, a unit of First Gen and the operator of the FSRU-based terminal in Batangas.

Back in 2020, First Gen, controlled by the Lopez family, signed a joint cooperation deal with Tokyo Gas for the Batangas LNG import terminal, and this deal included Tokyo Gas buying a 20 percent stake in the project.

In May 2024, FGEN LNG and Tokyo Gas executed a shareholders’ agreement and share subscription agreement.

BW Batangas is berthed at the First Gen Clean Energy Complex (FGCEC) in Batangas City.

First Gen uses regasified LNG to fuel its gas-fired power plants located in the complex.

The company has a portfolio of four gas-fired power plants with a combined capacity of 2,017 MW that have been supplied for many years with gas from the Malampaya offshore gas field.