(The Center Square) – Japanese power generation company JERA said Thursday it has agreed to acquire natural gas producing properties located in western Louisiana’s Haynesville Shale basin from Williams Cos and GEP Haynesville II for $1.5 billion.
JERA, one of the world’s largest importers of LNG, bought properties located around the South Mansfield gas field, which now produces about 500 million cubic feet of gas per day. The company said in a news release that planned investments could double production to one billion cubic feet a day (Bcf/d).
“The U.S. energy sector is leading the way in the global LNG market and JERA’s investments have lined up accordingly,” said John O’Brien, JERA Americas’ chief executive officer. “The upstream Haynesville Acquisition is a strategic addition to our asset portfolio, enabling us to advance our unique supply chain expertise while deepening our commitment to Americas’ energy future,” O’Brien said.
The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2025, pending customary closing conditions and approval from the Committee for Foreign Investments in the United States, according to JERA.
“The Haynesville Acquisition’s strategic value is supported by robust current production and proven reserves, established gathering, treating and transport infrastructure, and proximity to Gulf Coast LNG and data center hubs,” JERA said.
Ryosuke Tsugaru, JERA’s chief low carbon fuel officer, said the Haynesville investment substantially expands the company’s partnerships in the United States. “The benefits are clear: enhanced diversification for JERA’s LNG value chain, expanded global reach across the gas value chain and overall risk mitigation in a volatile energy market,” said Tsugaru. “The project thus clearly aligns with our strategic priorities and reinforces our core mission to provide a stable and secure energy supply globally.”
JERA currently buys a total of 3.5 million tons of LNG annually from Freeport LNG in Texas and Cameron LNG in Louisiana under long-term contracts. So far in 2025, JERA has signed deals to secure 6.5 million tons per year from U.S. LNG suppliers located in Texas, Louisiana and Alaska. JERA also entered into an approximately 1.0 million ton-per-year LNG offtake agreement with Venture Global CP2 in 2023, with first deliveries expected in 2027.
Earlier this year, JERA and investment partners CF Industries and Mitsui & Co announced that they will spend about $4 billion to build the largest low-carbon ammonia plant in the world at a site in Ascension Parish.
Through its renewables subsidiary JERA Nex, the company owns and operates the Oxbow solar farm in Point Coupee Parish. The 300 MW facility, acquired in 2024, is the largest solar farm in Louisiana. The company also owns, in whole or in part, 10 power generation assets across the country.
JERA has committed to achieving net-zero CO₂ emissions from its domestic and overseas businesses by 2050.
