The Australia Pacific LNG project boosted its revenue during the period ending March 31 when compared to the same period last year, according to shareholder Origin Energy.
Origin, which recently agreed to a takeover offer from a consortium consisting of Canada’s Brookfield Asset Management and a unit of US-based energy investor EIG, said in its quarterly report that APLNG revenue reached about A$2.76 billion ($1.82 billion) in the January-March period.
Compared to the first quarter of last year, APLNG revenue rose 7 percent, while it dropped 13 percent when compared to the prior quarter.
Origin said revenue for the March quarter was lower than the prior quarter due to lower realized oil prices, although it was 34 percent higher for the financial year to date as oil prices remain higher than the same period last year.
Origin’s share of APLNG revenue for the quarter was A$710 million.
The company currently owns a 22.5 percent in the project and is the upstream operator, while China’s Sinopec owns a 25 percent share in APLNG.
US energy giant ConocoPhillips has a 47.5 percent share in the APLNG project and operates the 9 mtpa LNG export facility on Curtis Island near Gladstone.
However, ConocoPhillips revealed plans in March to become upstream operator of APLNG following the closing of EIG’s transaction with Origin, and it has also agreed to purchase up to an additional 2.49 percent shareholding interest in APLNG for $0.5 billion.
Two JKM-linked spot LNG cargoes
Origin said that APLNG delivered two JKM-linked spot cargoes in the quarter, down from three delivered in the prior quarter.
A total of five JKM-linked spot cargoes have been delivered in the nine months to March 2023, down from ten cargoes in the same period last year.
In total, APLG sold 33 cargoes during January-March, down from 34 cargoes both in the prior quarter and the same quarter last year.
During the financial year to date, APLNG sold 95 cargoes, two less when compared to the same period before.
March quarter APLNG realized average LNG price was $14.50/MMBtu (contracted and spot) and an average domestic price was A$6.17/GJ (legacy and short-term), Origin said.
Realized average LNG price rose 1 percent when compared to the same quarter last year, while it dropped 9 percent when compared to the prior quarter.
Production of 165 PJ was almost flat when compared to the prior quarter, but it dropped 3 percent when compared to the same period last year.
Origin CEO Frank Calabria said in the statement that “Australia Pacific LNG continues to perform well, delivering solid revenue from higher realized oil prices when compared to the same period a year ago.”
“Operationally, drier weather conditions enabled higher well workover activity and this supported steady production output for the quarter. Australia Pacific LNG has continued to meet its commitment to provide Australian businesses with access to competitively priced gas, recently completing new gas sales to major business customers at the capped price of $12/GJ,” Calabria said.