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State-owned Kogas sold 2.67 million mt last month, down 13.9 percent from 3.10 million mt in November 2023, the firm said in a stock exchange filing.
November sales were higher compared to the previous month’s 2.13 million mt, which marked a decrease of 5.2 percent year-on-year, and 2.13 million mt in September, which marked a slight decrease compared to the same month last year.
In August, Kogas sold 2.56 million mt, a rise of 10.8 percent year-on-year and an increase for the fourth month in a row.
Purchases by power firms decreased 12 percent year-on-year to 1.88 million mt in November, and they were higher 3 percent compared to the previous month.
Moreover, Kogas said its city gas sales decreased 15.2 percent year-on-year to 1.58 million mt in November but were higher 46.3 percent from the previous month.
Kogas said in its recent third-quarter earnings report that city gas demand rose by 4.1 percent during the period.
Residential demand increased due to a lower average temperature and economic recovery, and industrial demand rose due to strong exports which improved manufacturing demand, it said.
Kogas noted total power generation decreased by 2.4 percent in the third quarter due to higher power generation by direct LNG sourcing companies.
Korean LNG imports rise
Kogas operates 77 LNG storage tanks at five LNG import terminals in South Korea.
The large terminals include Incheon, Pyeongtaek, Tongyeong, and Samcheok, while the firm has a small-scale regasification terminal at the Aewol port on Jeju island as well.
In addition to these facilities, the firm is building a large terminal in the western port city of Dangjin and expects to launch the first phase in 2025.
In August, Kogas completed lifting the roofs on all four 270,000-cbm tanks at its Dangjin LNG import facility.
Official data for South Korean LNG imports in November of this year has not yet been released.
According to customs data, during January-October, South Korean LNG terminals took 38.03 million mt, a rise from 35.42 million mt in the same period last year.
Australia was the biggest supplier during the period, with 9.25 million mt of LNG, followed by Malaysia with 4.65 million mt and Oman with 3.79 million mt, the data shows.
South Korean LNG imports in October rose to 4.41 million mt compared to 3.39 million mt in October 2023.