US-based energy sector company Sempra Infrastructure has reached an agreement with a Japanese consortium to produce e-natural gas.

The consortium comprises Tokyo Gas Company, Osaka Gas Company, Toho Gas Company and Mitsubishi Corporation.

Together, the energy and infrastructure companies will assess a planned project that will produce e-natural gas on the US Gulf Coast.

E-natural gas is a form of synthetic gas produced from carbon dioxide and renewable hydrogen gas.

If successful, the project could be the first link in a global supply chain for liquified e-natural gas, said Sempra Infrastructure.

Since 2022, the Japanese consortium has been conducting initial feasibility studies for the project, which is expected to produce 130,000 tonnes of e-natural gas annually.

The e-natural gas would be liquefied at the Cameron LNG terminal in south-west Louisiana using Mitsubishi Corporation's tolling capability, before being sent to Japan.

It is anticipated that the planned project will involve the setting up of facilities for producing e-natural gas as well as the production or acquisition of green hydrogen.

Sempra Infrastructure CEO Justin Bird said: “The project would allow existing natural gas infrastructure, including the global liquefied natural gas supply chain and the gas distribution systems in nations across the world, to be used as the backbone for the delivery of a long-term, carbon-neutral fuel."

In a joint statement, the members of the Japanese consortium said: “Tokyo Gas, Osaka Gas, Toho Gas and Mitsubishi Corporation intend to realize the world’s first large-scale production and international supply chain of e-natural gas and have been progressing feasibility work.

“The US Gulf Coast is an ideal location for this type of facility and we are pleased to partner with Sempra Infrastructure, a company with a reliable and qualified track record of developing energy infrastructure in this region.”