The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) has signed an agreement with Japanese energy company Jera to sell liquefied natural gas (LNG) produced by Adnoc LNG.

Jera will purchase up to eight LNG cargoes per year from Adnoc LNG for a period of three years, starting 2019.

The agreement was signed on 7 August during Adnoc Group CEO Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber’s trip to Japan, aimed at building on Adnoc’s relationship with Japan’s energy sector.

Al-Jaber has discussed a potential long-term supply of hydrocarbons and derivative products to Japan, a statement from the Abu Dhabi energy major said.

He is said to have explored partnership and investment opportunities for Japan, created by Adnoc’s upstream and downstream growth plans part of the company’s Vision 2030 blueprint.

Al-Jaber has met Hiroshige Seko, Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, and the leaders of Softbank, Inpex/Jodco, Mitsui and Jera, as part of a series of meetings, with government officials, business partners and customers, on his tour.

The UAE is the second largest exporter of crude oil to Japan after Saudi Arabia. In 2017, Japan imported $15.6bn worth of oil from the UAE, according to the Japan External Trade Organisation.

Nearly one third of Adnoc’s crude oil goes to Japan, accounting for 25 per cent of Tokyo’s total crude oil imports. Other exports include LNG, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), naphtha and sulphur.

Adnoc also has 6.29 million barrels of crude oil stored in the Kiire Oil Terminal Strategic Reserve in southern Japan.

In February, Japan’s Inpex was awarded a 10 per cent interest in Abu Dhabi’s offshore Lower Zakum concession. At the same time the company’s 40 per cent stakes in Abu Dhabi’s Satah and Umm Al Dalkh concession were extended for 25 years.

Jodco Lower Zakum, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Inpex, has been appointed the asset leader for the Lower Zakum concession.

Inpex is one of six Japanese companies working to develop Abu Dhabi’s hydrocarbon resources. Mitsui has a 15 per cent stake in Adnoc LNG, and Cosmo Oil has a 64.2 per cent stake in the Abu Dhabi Oil Company, along with JX Nippon (32.1 per cent), Kansai Electric (1.9 per cent) and Chubu Electric (1.9 per cent).