Origin, Arrow in Talks For Expansion of LNG Project

Origin Energy and Arrow Energy are in talks about a potential expansion of Origin’s $24.7 billion Australia Pacific LNG venture.

Origin chief executive Grant King told Financial Review Sunday he could offer Arrow, “a great site with plenty of potential to expand.”

Shell, which owns Arrow along with PetroChina, is looking at merger options for Arrow with one of the other coal seam gas-based LNG ventures under construction in Queensland, alongside the original plan to build a stand-alone LNG plant on Curtis Island, Financial Review Sunday said.

However, King said that talks with Arrow are not exclusive. “I’m sure each of the projects, including APLNG, will say to Arrow, here’s what we can offer you,” King was quoted by Financial Review Sunday as saying.

King said Australia needs to be careful to make the most of the boom in LNG construction, which should see the country’s production capacity almost quadruple to about 80 million tonnes a year by 2017.