TotalEnergies SE has committed to buying two million metric tons per annum (MMtpa) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) for 20 years from the pending Ksi Lisims LNG project in British Columbia. Concurrently the French integrated energy company also agreed to acquire a 5 percent stake in Western LNG LLC, one of the partners advancing the project and the future operator. “This acquisition grants TotalEnergies the option to increase its stake in Western LNG and/or take a direct stake in the plant up to approximately 10 percent when the final investment decision is made”, TotalEnergies said in an online statement. With a planned capacity of 12 MMtpa, the project is expected to become operational 2029. It is undergoing environmental assessment and preliminary engineering. Construction could start this year, Ksi Lisims LNG LP, a partnership between the Nisga’a nation, Rockies LNG Partners and Western LNG, says on its website. To rise on Indigenous land about nine miles west of the Gingolx village, the project is ideally situated along the country’s west coast as it has direct access to overseas markets and is close to proposed natural gas pipeline routes, according to Ksi Lisims. The partners tout the project as the world’s lowest-emission LNG facility. It is designed to have two floating LNG production and storage facilities, which will be built by Samsung Heavy Industries Co. Ltd., with an all-electric process technology developed by Black & Veatch Corp. TotalEnergies noted the project’s location on the Pacific coast of Canada gives the facility a “privileged access” to Asia, the biggest LNG market. “This purchase of LNG from the future Ksi Lisims LNG plant will allow us to diversify our LNG portfolio in North America and benefit from competitive LNG supply in Western Canada to better serve our Asian customers, with whom we are developing a

Dive Brief: Utah-based EnergySolutions intends to apply for an early site permit from federal regulators to install new nuclear generation at the retired Kewaunee Power Station in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin, the company said in a statement last week.   The nuclear services company is partnering on the project with WEC Energy Group, which owns the electric and gas utilities We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service.  The early site review could take about two years, followed by a “rigorous permitting process by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,” WEC spokesperson Brendan Conway said in an email. If the project moves forward, construction could begin in the early 2030s and the new plant could come online in 2038 or 2039, he said. Dive Insight: The announcement comes amid renewed interest in nuclear to provide low-carbon energy as electricity demand rises. Some of that interest has centered on restarting decommissioned reactors, but much of it is focused on small modular reactors that experts say can be deployed more quickly and less expensively than traditional reactors.  Only a few working small modular reactors exist in China and Russia, but North American companies are racing to design and bring one online. Conway said there’s no consideration of restarting the old reactor on the site. “Decommissioning work at the plant has been going on for years,” he said. “It would not be practical to try to restart it.” Conway emphasized that the companies are “still in the very early stages of this process” and have not made any decisions about which new reactor technologies they might deploy at Kewaunee. Small modular reactors are under consideration, he added. The amount of new generation EnergySolutions and WEC could bring online and the site’s total hosting capacity is unclear. EnergySolutions CEO Ken Robuck told Wisconsin Public Radio last week that his

Europe can secure enough liquefied natural gas to refill storage for next winter at current prices, but the region faces competition for supply should prices fall further, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. “We think that prices have to stay at current levels, or slightly above, in order to kill LNG demand outside of Europe,” Samantha Dart, the co-head of global commodities research, said on Bloomberg television. “If LNG gets too cheap this summer, you tend to see other buyers picking it up.” Europe has drawn in more LNG cargoes so far this year thanks in part to weaker demand from Asia. China, last year’s top buyer, has sharply cut purchases due to high inventories, stronger pipeline imports, and elevated spot prices that have made shipments uneconomical. However, that trend could reverse if LNG becomes cheaper than alternative fuels in the region. European gas storage ended winter below normal levels, but easing prices have provided some relief in recent months. The continent typically rebuilds its inventories during summer ahead of peak winter demand. Looking further out, Dart expects that a flood of new LNG supply — driven by the US and Qatar — will create an oversupply, which will be visible from 2027 and become larger over the rest of the decade. “We think having cheap natural gas for a few years can plant the seeds for additional demand growth,” she said. WHAT DO YOU THINK? Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed. MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR Bloomberg

In an EBW Analytics Group report sent to Rigzone by the EBW team today, Eli Rubin, an energy analyst at the company, outlined that “oversold NYMEX natural gas trampoline[d]… higher” on Tuesday. The report pointed out that the June natural gas contract closed at $3.427 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) yesterday, and that this represented a 31.4¢, or 10.1 percent, increase. “The six sessions ending Monday saw a 68¢ (-18 percent) re-pricing of the June natural gas contract, with Monday’s low within 0.1¢ of the front-month’s closing low in late April,” Rubin noted in the report. “Yesterday’s rally, helped by short-covering, may indicate a line in the sand – and could mark a bullish, long-term technical double-bottom pattern into summer,” he added. In the report, Rubin pointed out that “fundamentals do not explain Monday’s dramatic sell-off or Tuesday’s rip higher”. “Henry Hub spot prices averaged $3.15 per MMBtu yesterday. Weather shifts were relatively minor and not an important driver,” he added. “Neither production nor LNG have exhibited exceptional swings. 2025 injection season contracts have moved only 5.7¢ since Friday,” Rubin continued. Rubin also warned in the report that “volatility could extend” with Thursday’s U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) weekly natural gas storage report, “uncertain physical markets into Memorial Day, and June options expiry and final settlement next week”. “After near-term catalysts clear, there is a likelihood for July contract upside after it becomes the front-month next week, with newly reset bullish technicals suggesting outsized gain,” Rubin went on to state in the report. In its latest weekly natural gas storage report at the time of writing, which was released on May 15 and included data for the week ending May 9, the EIA stated that “working gas in storage was 2,255 billion cubic feet as of Friday, May 9, 2025,

Anees Jeddy is planning engineer — transmission integration for the New York Independent System Operator. This article reflects his personal views. High-voltage direct current transmission technology has emerged as a critical enabler in addressing today’s electric grid challenges. In areas with high population density, limited right-of-way and rapidly increasing electricity demand, HVDC provides an efficient and flexible alternative to traditional AC transmission. Its ability to transmit large amounts of power over long distances with lower losses, connect asynchronous grids and precisely control power flow makes it uniquely suited for the modern energy landscape. This is especially relevant as we integrate more variable renewable energy resources — such as offshore wind and utility-scale solar — which are often located far from load centers. HVDC offers the control and stability needed to manage these new power flows, ensuring both reliability and system efficiency. Real-world applications and insights In my experience supporting public policy-driven transmission planning processes, HVDC solutions consistently emerge as optimal for addressing the grid’s most complex and high-stakes challenges. Whether it’s integrating offshore wind, connecting remote renewable resources, or delivering power into densely populated load centers, HVDC offers a level of precision, scalability, and efficiency that conventional AC systems often cannot match. One of HVDC’s most valuable advantages lies in the operational flexibility it provides. It allows grid operators to directly control the amount and direction of power flow — making it a powerful tool for reducing congestion, improving system reliability and enabling dynamic responses to rapidly changing load patterns. This controllability becomes especially important as the grid transitions to accommodate intermittent renewable generation, increased electrification and more distributed energy resources. HVDC also excels at reducing transmission losses, particularly over long distances. When clean energy — like utility-scale solar or wind — is generated far from load centers, HVDC provides

The Interior Department has retracted a stop order against Empire Wind, allowing Equinor ASA to resume construction of the project’s first phase, which is expected to power 500,000 homes in New York. Anders Opedal, president and chief executive of the Norwegian majority state-owned energy major, said in an online statement it took a collective campaign by the company, New York officials, lawmakers in both chambers, labor groups, senior Norwegian government officials including the finance minister, and other advocates to convince the Trump administration to take back the April 16 order. “Equinor will perform an updated assessment of the project economics in the second quarter”, Equinor said in an online statement Tuesday. “Empire aims to be able to execute planned activities in the offshore installation window in 2025 and reach its planned commercial operation date in 2027. Empire will engage with suppliers and regulatory bodies to reduce the impact of the stop work order”. In the order, the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said it had needed to address feedback including from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration about the environmental analyses for Empire Wind. “BOEM received this and other feedback regarding Empire Wind as an outgrowth of the review that the Department is engaged in related to offshore wind projects”, BOEM told Empire Offshore Wind LLC in a letter, shared on the bureau’s website. BOEM was referring to a memorandum issued January 20 by President Donald Trump upon taking office. The executive decision indefinitely halted wind leasing in the Outer Continental Shelf to allow for a review of permitting considerations, saying environmental analyses have been inadequate. The halt means no new leases would be awarded. For existing leases, “the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the Attorney General as needed, shall conduct a comprehensive review of the ecological,