TotalEnergies and green energy developer TES partner with three Japanese companies – Osaka Gas, Toho Gas and ITOCHU Corporation – to develop the Live Oak Facility Project in Nebraska. Live Oak is an industrial scale electric natural gas (e-NG/e-methane) facility using renewable hydrogen and captured CO2 as feedstock. The five partners now hold equity as follows: TotalEnergies and TES with 33.35 percent each, and the three Japanese firms combined holding 33.3 percent.
Project Overview
Live Oak project in Nebraska targets approximately 250 MW of electrolysis capacity and plans to generate around 75,000 tons of e-methane per annum (tpa). With Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) now beginning, the project aims for a Final Investment Decision (FID) in 2027, and targets commercial operations by 2030. Commercial operations will also include the export of e-NG to Japan, where Osaka Gas and Toho Gas plan to inject it into domestic gas grids.
While e-methane is not ideally renewable, is could still count in Nebraska’s growing portfolio of cleaner energy sources. This is if the production runs in a closed carbon cycle as intended, where renewable hydrogen is used and the CO2 is captured. The project could chip in to the portfolio made by the likes of Nebraska’s largest photovoltaic installation with integrated battery storage project, Norfolk.
Live Oak e-NG Facility Project Factsheet
Owners: TotalEnergies; TES; Osaka Gas; Toho Gas; ITOCHU Corporation
Equity: TotalEnergies with 33.35%, TES also with 33.35%, and the incoming Japanese consortium with remaining 33.3%.
Target capacity: 250 MW electrolysis and methanation.
Expected output: 75,000 tpa of e-methane
Feedstocks: Renewable hydrogen, and captured CO2 – e.g. from nearby bioethanol plants.
Final Investment Decision: 2027
Expected commercial start: 2030
Offtakers: Osaka Gas and Toho Gas for injection into Japanese gas networks. Will also help meet their ‘1% carbon-neutral gas by 2030’ target.
Project Utility: Provide low-carbon methane compatible with existing LNG, transport and distribution infrastructure.
Project Timeline
March 2024: TotalEnergies co-founds e-NG project with major global energy and gas companies to development synthetic natural gas using renewable hydrogen and CO2. Live Oak is looked at as a priority project.
2024-2025: Preliminary feasibility studies and site assessments for Like Oak in Nebraska. CO2 supply also evaluated, alongside renewable electricity sourcing, and logistics.
December 2025: Joint development and operating agreement signed with three Japanese partners: Osaka Gas, Toho Gas and ITOCHU Corporation. FEED phase to begin.
2026 through 2027: FEED completion and Final Investment Decision (FID) to be reached. This however depends on the reaching of regulatory, supply chain, and financing milestones. Additionally, if CO2 supply becomes constrained or costlier, project viability could be also undermined.
2030: Target start of production of e-NG at Live Oak project. Exports to Japan also expected.
