(Platts)–01Dec2025/1134 pm EST/0434 GMT **Project targets 2030 operations, 75,000 mt/y methanation capacity **E-methane to be exported to Japan for carbon-neutral gas goals **Osaka Gas looks to liquefy e-methane at Freeport LNG terminal TotalEnergies, Tree Energy Solutions Belgium, or TES, and Osaka Gas, Toho Gas and Itochu said Dec. 2 that the companies have signed a joint development and operating agreement, granting the Japanese companies a combined 33.3% stake in the Live Oak project, a large-scale facility to produce e-methane in Nebraska. The partners are now preparing for the front-end engineering design phase, targeting commercial operations by 2030 after making a final investment decision in 2027, with a capacity of about 250 MW of electrolysis and 75,000 metric tons/year of methanation, and with plans to export e-methane — also known as electric natural gas (e-NG) — to Japan. Osaka Gas and Toho Gas will be the primary offtakers of e-methane produced from the Live Oak project, initiated by TotalEnergies and TES, the companies said. Osaka Gas hopes to transport e-methane produced in Nebraska through existing pipelines to the Freeport LNG terminal in Texas, where it plans to liquefy e-methane and blend it into LNG, an Osaka Gas spokesperson told Platts, part of S&P Global Energy. Osaka Gas holds a 10.8% stake in Freeport LNG Development, the operator of the Freeport LNG project, and lifts 2.32 million mt/y of LNG from Freeport LNG’s Train 1. 1% INJECTION The companies said this project helps the major Japanese gas utilities to achieve their goal of injecting 1% carbon-neutral gas, such as e-methane, into the gas grid by 2030. The Live Oak project, which builds on the strategic partnership established between TotalEnergies and TES in 2023, will leverage Nebraska’s abundant biogenic CO2 resources, captured from bioethanol plants, and the growing renewable power generation capacity in the US, the companies said. The participation of Osaka Gas, Toho Gas and Itochu underscores their commitment to decarbonization through the adoption of e-methane and positions Live Oak as the leading project for carbon-neutral gas production for Japan, according to the companies. E-methane or e-NG is a synthetic gas produced from renewable hydrogen and CO2, which is chemically identical to conventional natural gas. The synthetic gas can be seamlessly integrated into existing LNG infrastructure — liquefaction, transport, regasification, and distribution — without requiring alterations to consumer equipment. — Takeo Kumagai, takeo.kumagai@spglobal.com– Edited by Ankit Ajmera, newsdesk@spglobal.com–Platts Electricity Alert–
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