Chern-Chyi Chen, Taiwan’s Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs, is the most recent foreign government official to say that his country wants or would consider purchasing Canadian-made LNG if it were made available.
If you follow the news, you likely know this isn’t the first time a world leader has asked Canadians for our energy.
Since the 2022 war in Ukraine, resource security has been put at the forefront for policymakers across Asia and the West, as these countries look to pivot towards more reliable and stable energy suppliers.
Taiwan joins a growing list of governments that have said they support and/or want Canadian-made LNG. Unfortunately, despite all their pleas, none have successfully convinced Canada to expedite the development of new LNG export capacity – which doing so would create jobs, tax revenues, and support a stronger economy for our families.
Below are a handful of examples of when the world has asked Canada to do more on the LNG front with little to no avail. Also see:
- What is the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission (PRGT) Pipeline Project?
- VIDEO: Why the World Needs More Canadian LNG
🇹🇼 Taiwan 🇹🇼
Taiwan joins Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines as Asian nations who have said they want or would be interested in buying Canadian-made LNG.
Chern-Chyi Chen, Taiwan’s Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs and a senior government official, said that his country is in close contact with LNG proponents in B.C. and is “eager” to buy LNG from Canada.
“It might be something like now you need to invest in order to get the supply,” said Chen via reporting by The Globe and Mail.
“In that case, of course, we will be interested in investing for a guarantee of the supply.”
Taiwan is already a 15% shareholder of LNG Canada, a project that will begin operations sometime in 2025. With a second-phase of development under review which would double the project’s export capacity, LNG Canada could provide even more energy to Asia in the years ahead.
🇵🇭 Philippines 🇵🇭
The Philippines’ top diplomat, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, said his country is open to discussions on trade and investment opportunities – including LNG – in B.C and Canada at a keynote in Vancouver this past May.
“For trade and investment, this is part of our overall approach – trying to find and build on areas aside from traditional areas of trade and investment to find new ones,” said Manalo, via reporting by the Prince George Citizen.
“We know it's not that easy to shift from traditional to new [energy], so we, in the meantime, still have to focus a lot on our traditional energy sources, which include coal,” he continued.
“But LNG is another area that we're exploring. In fact, we're having talks with countries … and are certainly open to having discussions with Canada or companies here. ... [We are] also focusing on other renewable energies such as wind and sun, so it's a total mix.”
The Philippines envisions the build-out of LNG terminals, pipelines, and power plants, potentially becoming an LNG import hub in southeast Asia, according to sources [11] --- an opportunity Canadians cannot miss.
🇵🇱 Poland 🇵🇱
Andrzej Duda made a trip to Canada in April of 2024, a month after Greece PM Kyriakos. During visit, Poland’s president was asked if his country would be interested in buying Canadian LNG if it were made available.
“Of course,” Duda responded to CTV’s Vassy Kapelos.
“If Canada is ready to supply LNG to Poland, we have got our LNG terminal… right now,” said Duda, adding that his country plans to expand its existing infrastructure via reporting by CTV.
A few years prior, Witold Dzielski, Poland’s ambassador to Canada, also went on the record to discuss the energy needs of Europe and how Canada could help support global energy security. Dzielski’s response was what you would expect from a country whose continent was in dire need of finding new, reliable energy supplies.
“We hope that Canada, being a superpower in the area of resources, will be able to send gas to Poland, and to the region, in order to support the diversification of energy sources,” said Dzielski, when asked if his government had engaged with Canada on finding new gas supplies due to the geopolitical situation in Europe [7].
Unfortunately, Canada has not yet committed to providing Poland and its European allies with our reliable LNG supply.
🇬🇷 Greece 🇬🇷
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited Canada to discuss how Greece could deepen its friendship with Canada. During his stay, in an interview with CTV, Mitsotakis said that his country would “absolutely” be interested in purchasing Canadian LNG, if the resource were made available to his country [10].
“We are a big entry point for LNG, not just for the Greek market, but also for the Balkans, for Eastern Europe,” Mitsotakis said. “Theoretically, we could even supply Ukraine.”
“So, in principle, yes, we are very interested in obtaining LNG at competitive prices. As fast as we go in terms of our renewable penetration, we will still need a reliable source of electricity, and for us, for Greece, we don't have nuclear, we’re practically, or completely, moving away from coal, so that leaves natural gas for the foreseeable future as a significant source of energy, for the production of electricity.”
“Canada is a country with which we share so many values,” he continued.
Unfortunately for Mitsotakis, there are currently no export licenses granted for any LNG facilities on Canada’s east coast.
🇯🇵 Japan 🇯🇵
Despite Japan’s multiple LNG supply deals with Australia, Oman, the U.S., and others, the country is still full speed ahead in looking for alternative sources of supply for energy and food [6].
Former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met with Canadian government officials including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in early 2023, where he made it clear that his nation wants Canadian-made LNG.
“The world is having an energy crisis,” Kishida said. “We also want to have a closer relationship with Canada in the area of energy.”
“We’re facing an energy crisis and countries around the world are trying to strike a balance between ensuring a stable supply of energy, as well as the other side, the decarbonization. In that sense, I am confident that Canada will play a major role as a resource-rich country,” Kishida said to Trudeau, via reporting from The Globe and Mail.
With no commitments from Canada to boost LNG supplies to Japan, Kishido since asked other countries abroad for new natural gas supplies.
🇰🇷 South Korea 🇰🇷
Early in 2023, Japanese and South Korean officials participated in a webinar where they shared their eagerness to receive the first imports of Canadian natural gas from the LNG Canada facility in Kitimat [8].
“The world is waiting for Canada,” said Yamanouchi Kanji, Japanese ambassador to Canada. “Canada can and should play a very important role to support the energy situation not only in Japan and South Korea, but the world.”
A few months later, Canadian officials went to South Korea to discuss energy security, among other things.
“I don’t think there was a time when Korea and Canada were so close as now, and I don’t think we’ve had any period where our two leaders have met so frequently,” Lim Woongsoon, South Korea’s ambassador to Canada via reporting by Chat News Today [9].
Woongsoon believes that LNG Canada – a project in which both his country and Japan have invested in – will get the go-ahead for phase 2 of development, which will increase its export capacity from 14 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) up to 26 mtpa.
“Our imports of LNG will be on the increase for the decades to come, because we need to phase down coal power plants … rather dramatically, and LNG will be the most feasible alternative,” he said.
With LNG Canada expected to send its first gas shipment to Asia sometime in 2025, South Korea and Japan don’t have to wait much longer. As two of the largest LNG importers in the world, they have since signed multiple supply deals with other countries abroad such as Australia, Qatar, Oman, and the U.S.
🇩🇪 Germany 🇩🇪
Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz was yet another foreign leader who has asked for Canadian-made LNG. Scholz has stated that his country and Europe prefer Canadian LNG over other sources of supply found abroad [4].
“As Germany is moving away from Russian energy at warp speed, Canada is our partner of choice. For now, this means increasing our LNG imports. We hope that Canadian LNG will play a major role in this,” the Chancellor said while visiting Canada in August 2022.
Since leaving with no promises for Canadian LNG, Germany has signed multi-decade LNG deals worth billions of dollars with Qatar, Oman, the United States and other suppliers.
Meanwhile, the EU member state has also managed to build LNG import terminals in record time, with the first three opening for shipments in January of last year.
🇪🇺 Europe 🇪🇺
Chancellor Scholz has repeatedly reiterated Europe also wants more Canadian-made LNG. In an interview with Vassy Kapelos on CBC News Network’s Power & Politics, Scholz made it clear that he speaks not only for Germany, but also for Europe [5].
"We would really like Canada to export more (liquefied natural gas, LNG) to Europe," Scholz said.
"We have not built terminals for importing liquid natural gas to Germany at our own shores in the north. This is what we are changing now … We will build ports, at many places, for importing natural gas, liquid natural gas, LNG, and this will really make a difference."
Scholz lived up to his promise of new LNG import facilities, built in just months, in record time.
🇺🇦 Ukraine 🇺🇦
Ukraine’s ambassador to Canada has expressed her country’s desire to source Canadian energy as an alternative to Russian fuels [3].
In mid-2022, Yulia Kovaliv called on Canadian oil and gas companies to help in the fight against Russia by entering and expanding into Europe’s energy market.
“Canada, we do believe, and the other countries . . . have to support us in providing the additional sources of energy since the European continent is rethinking, in general, their energy security,” said Kovaliv at an energy conference in Canada.
A few years have passed since the latest war in Ukraine began, and all east coast LNG projects in Canada are now defunct. What an absolute shame.
🇱🇻 Latvia 🇱🇻
Not long after the war in Ukraine began early in 2022, Latvia said it would welcome shipments of Canadian LNG to Europe to help reduce its reliance on Russian natural gas [2].
Kaspars Ozolins, Latvia’s ambassador to Canada, said there was a proposal to build a new LNG import terminal near the Baltic Sea port of Skulte, and that his country would encourage Canadian investors.
“We are trying to build a resilient energy system,” Mr. Ozolins said in an interview.
“If Canada is going to invest in LNG, we would wholeheartedly support it.”
It’s not far off to say that if Canada had a readily available LNG supply on its east coast, European countries like Latvia would more than likely be interested in buying it.
The World Needs More 🇨🇦 Canadian Energy 🇨🇦
According to the latest industry outlooks, global natural gas demand is poised to continue growing for decades to come. As Canada sits on the sidelines, countries like Qatar, Oman, the United States and the United Arab Emirates are snatching up as many LNG supply deals as possible. If new supply doesn't come from Canada, there’s a good chance global market share will be captured by other less transparent and regulated producers.
It’s not too late to step up and help our Asian and European trade partners with the reliable LNG supply they so desperately want and need, as they have asked us to do many times.
What are we waiting for?
More countries are asking for #CanadianLNG and global demand continues to rise — it’s time to support these Indigenous led opportunities.#CdnPoli #CdnLNG #BcPoli pic.twitter.com/4ZlnwXWDNL
— LNG Action (@LNGAction) November 17, 2024
SOURCES:
1 - Government of Canada - State of trade 2020, Date Accessed: January 2023 (https://www.international.gc.ca/gac-amc/publications/economist-economiste/state-of-trade-commerce-international-2020.aspx?lang=eng)
2 – The Globe and Mail – Latvia wants Canadian natural gas imports to reduce reliance on Russia, says ambassador, Date Accessed: January 2023 (https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-latvia-wants-canadian-natural-gas-imports-to-reduce-reliance-on-russia/)
3 - Global News - New Ukraine ambassador calls European energy crisis an opportunity for Canada, Date Accessed: January 2023 (https://globalnews.ca/news/8906225/ukraine-ambassador-european-energy-crisis-canada-opportunity/)
4 - Reuters - Germany touts possible ‘major role’ for Canadian LNG in shift away from Russia, Date Accessed: January 2023 (https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/canadian-lng-could-play-major-role-germanys-shift-russian-gas-scholz-2022-08-23/)
5 - CBC - Scholz says Germany wants more natural gas from Canada, Date Accessed: January 2023 (https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/scholz-vassy-kapelos-lng-russia-gas-1.6559814)
6 - National Post - Being reliable supplier of energy important, Trudeau says as Japan looks to Canada for LNG, Date Accessed: January 2023 (https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/trudeau-energy-japan-canada-lng)
7 - https://www.cga.ca/energy-magazine-post/an-interview-with-polands-new-ambassador-to-canada-witold-dzielski/
8 - https://www.biv.com/news/resources-agriculture/korea-japan-want-canadian-lng-can-canada-deliver-8270599
9 – https://chatnewstoday.ca/2023/05/16/trudeau-in-south-korea-to-talk-global-and-energy-security-youth-mobility-program/
10 - https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/greece-would-absolutely-be-interested-in-purchasing-canadian-lng-greek-pm-1.6819966
11 - https://www.icis.com/explore/resources/news/2024/11/22/11053419/overview-of-lng-gas-infrastructure-in-the-philippines/