In April 2013, Dominion signed Japan and India to a deal to accept 100% of the LNG output that will come from their Cove Point, Maryland LNG export facility (see Dominion’s Cove Point LNG Facility Achieves Important Milestones). Cove Point is by now close to half built, since it was 24% complete in March and 38% complete in June (see Dominion Cove Point LNG Now 38% Built, Rapid Progress Continues). The closer it gets to completion, the more the Japanese are getting cold feet. Don’t worry, they can’t wiggle out of the contract. But they’re concerned that it will take 20 days to ship a cargo of LNG from Cove Point to Japan, when they could get gas in half that time from other sources. So the Japanese are playing “Let’s Make a Deal,” looking for partners willing to swap Cove Point cargos for Asian cargos of LNG. Here’s what the Japanese are proposing…
