(Reuters; Nov. 20) – State-run GAIL (India) plans to sell 1 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas per year (almost 50 billion cubic feet of gas) sourced from the United States through its Singapore-based trading arm, the company said in a statement Nov. 20. The gas utility is also keen to acquire upstream assets in Tanzania and plans to set up floating LNG regasification terminal in southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh along with GDF Suez and Shell, Chairman B.C. Tripathi said in the statement.

GAIL already has a deal to buy 3.5 million tonnes per year (170 bcf of gas a year) of LNG for 20 years from Cheniere Energy’s export terminal in Sabine Pass, La., starting in 2017. It has also booked capacity to export 2.3 million tonnes per year (almost 100 bcf of gas) from Dominion Energy’s Cove Point, Md., liquefaction plant from 2017. In addition, GAIL has a 20-year deal with Russia’s Gazprom to buy LNG from its Sakhalin-2 plant in the Far East.

Source: http://www.arcticgas.gov/2013/india-utility-plans-market-us-lng-through-its-trading-company