LNG sales talk high on agenda as US energy chief visits Australia

Singapore (Platts)--15Jan2004

The prospect of Australian LNG sales to the US is high on the agenda as US Energy Secretary, Spencer Abraham, was welcomed Thursday by Australian Federal Industry Minister, Ian Macfarlane. "Secretary Abraham's visit is a timely reinforcement of the growing energy relationship between our countries. There's much potential for that to be strengthened in areas of gas, clean fuel technologies, renewable energies and future energy sources like hydrogen," a government statement quoted Macfarlane as saying after an initial meeting with Abraham. "Last month I led a gas industry delegation to Washington to promote the potential for Australian LNG and to have the Secretary repay that visit so soon after is a very positive indicator," he said. The visit is the first to Australia by the US Energy Secretary since a new bilateral MOU on energy sector cooperation was signed between Australia and US in Nov 2003. In Dec, Macfarlane led a delegation to the US ministerial energy summit in Washington. The goal was to set the stage for LNG contracts between the two nations.