Oman LNG (liquefied natural gas) has appointed Agnus Cassens as new general manager and chief executive officer, the company said Sunday, September 2, ahead of a board meeting later this month to decide on multi-million-dollar expansion plans.
Cassens, a German national who previously worked at Shell's headquarters in The Hague, takes over from Graham Searle. Plans for a third LNG train would boost production capacity at the plant in Qalhat on the Arabian Sea to 9.9 million tons a year from 6.6 million.
Oman LNG, which exported its first cargo in April 2000 to South Korea's Kogas Corp. under a 25-year deal, has long-term supply contracts with India's Dabhol Power Co. and Japan's Osaka Gas Co. Exports of spot cargoes have already started to customers in the United States and Spain.
The government owns 51 percent of Oman LNG, the Anglo-Dutch giant Royal Dutch Shell holds 30 percent, the Franco-Belgian TotalFinaElf 5.54 percent, Korea LNG five percent, Partex of Portugal two percent, and Japan's Mitsui, Mitsubishi and Itochu the rest.
Oman, a small non-OPEC oil producer, has put its proven gas reserves at around 660 million cubic meters (22 trillion cubic feet), with potential reserves more than double that figure. –(AFP, Muscat)
© Agence France Presse 2001
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
