JERA Co. Inc. said its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo produced in the contiguous United States arrived at the Joetsu LNG Terminal of Chubu Electric Power Co. last Friday. It is the first Lower 48 U.S. LNG cargo to be delivered to Japan, the company said. JERA and Cheniere Marketing International LLP had entered into a sale and purchase agreement for the cargo, which was loaded onto the LNG vessel Oak Spiritat Cheniere Energy Partners LP‘s Sabine Pass LNG Terminal in Louisiana on Dec. 7. The voyage to Japan via the Panama Canal took about one month. JERA said it believes the purchase of US LNG will contribute to a stable energy supply in Japan through the diversification of procurement regions and LNG price indices. JERA said it will establish an “LNG procurement portfolio that can flexibly respond to changes in the business environment by increasing its procurement ratio of LNG which is free from destination restrictions, through projects such as the Freeport LNG Project in [the United States].”