The agreement is Venture Global’s fourth long-term contract with a Japanese buyer

Venture Global has signed a 20-year sales and purchase agreement (SPA) with Tokyo Gas, under which the Japanese utility will receive 1 million metric tonnes per annum of liquefied natural gas starting in 2030, the U.S. exporter said on Tuesday.

The agreement is Venture Global’s fourth long-term contract with a Japanese buyer. The company has signed SPAs totalling 7.75 million tonnes per annum over the last six months, reflecting strong demand growth in Asia.

Venture Global is currently the second-largest LNG exporter in the United States and accounted for nearly 30% of U.S. LNG output last month, according to LSEG data. The U.S. remains the world’s largest exporter of LNG.

Global demand for LNG has climbed sharply since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, prompting utilities and energy companies in Europe and Asia to secure long-term supply commitments with American suppliers. Japan — the second-largest LNG importer after China — has been seeking stable and flexible fuel supplies to support its expanding energy needs, including power demand from data centre growth.

Earlier in November, Venture Global signed a separate LNG supply deal with Mitsui, following an agreement with JERA in 2023.