A consortium including Osaka Gas has launched front-end engineering design (FEED) for the Live Oak project in Nebraska, USA. Following a competitive tender, KBR and Técnicas Reunidas will conduct FEED in parallel, with completion of FEED and the start of EPC targeted for fiscal 2027 and commercial operations targeted for fiscal 2030.
The project will be based in Norfolk, Nebraska, and is being developed by a consortium led by TotalEnergies and TES, with Osaka Gas, Toho Gas and ITOCHU Corporation as additional participants. The two companies selected KBR and Técnicas Reunidas through a competitive tender to conduct FEED.
The FEED studies will be conducted in parallel, after which one of the two FEED results is expected to be selected as the final proposal. Completion and the start of EPC are targeted for fiscal 2027, with commercial operations targeted for fiscal 2030.
The project will produce green hydrogen through the electrolysis of water and e-methane using CO2 recovered from a bioethanol plant. Annual production is expected to be approximately 75,000 tonnes, with supply to Japanese customers targeted.
From a supply chain perspective, the project plans to leverage existing natural gas/LNG infrastructure in North America. Osaka Gas and Toho Gas are positioned as the key offtakers. The project is expected to contribute to the 1% adoption target for fiscal 2030.
The Live Oak project is a large-scale e-methane production project launched by TotalEnergies and TES in 2023. It aims to produce e-methane by combining CO2 with renewable energy and export it to Japan.