據路透社7月29日東京報道，東京燃氣有限公司周三表示，將斥資690億日元(約合6.57億美元)收購美國頁巖氣運營商Castleton Resources的控制權，并收購一項美國太陽能開發項目，以擴大其海外業務。

此舉反映了日本最大的城市燃氣供應商去年制定的長期戰略，其中包括加大海外擴張力度，并提高可再生能源和液化天然氣(LNG)開發業務的股份。

東京燃氣高級總經理Koji Yoshizaki表示，這家日本公司將投資約200億日元，通過購買美國運營商發行的新股，將其在Castleton的股份從46%提高到70%，為計劃收購路易斯安那州更多天然氣資產提供資金。

“由于美國頁巖氣價格大幅下跌，我們認為現在是以相對便宜的價格購買天然氣資產股權的好時機，” Yoshizaki在新聞發布會上說。

這筆交易是東京燃氣公司首次收購美國頁巖氣運營商，將于8月14日完成。

收購新增的天然氣資產將使Castleton的日產量從現在的2.96億立方英尺提高到4.73億立方英尺。

東京燃氣還將支付高達490億日元，從美國可再生能源開發商Hecate Energy手中購買位于德克薩斯州的630兆瓦Aktina太陽能發電項目。

Aktina將于2020年第三季度開始建設，2021年中期開始分塊上線。

此次收購將于8月6日完成，東京燃氣的可再生能源資產將增至1.2吉瓦（GW），離2030年5吉瓦的目標更近一步。

沈韓曄 摘譯自 路透社

原文如下：

Tokyo Gas to spend $657 mln in U.S. shale, solar assets

Tokyo Gas Co Ltd will spend 69 billion yen ($657 million) to take control of a U.S. shale gas operator, Castleton Resources, and to buy a U.S. solar power development project in a bid to expand its overseas operations, it said on Wednesday.

The move reflects a long-term strategy mapped out by Japan's biggest city gas supplier last year, which includes stepping up overseas expansion and boosting stakes in renewable energy and liquefied natural gas (LNG) development operations.

The Japanese company will invest about 20 billion yen to raise its stake in Castleton to 70 per cent from 46 per cent through buying new shares to be issued by the U.S. operator to finance the planned acquisition of additional gas assets in Louisiana, Koji Yoshizaki, senior general manager of Tokyo Gas, said.

"As U.S. shale gas prices have fallen sharply, we think it is a good time to buy stake in gas assets at a relatively cheap price," Yoshizaki told a news conference.

The deal, which marks Tokyo Gas' first purchase of a U.S. shale gas operator, will be completed on Aug. 14.

The acquisition of the additional gas assets will boost Castleton's output to 473 million cubic feet a day from 296 million cubic feet now.

Tokyo Gas will also pay up to 49 billion yen to purchase the 630 megawatts Aktina solar power project in Texas from Hecate Energy, a U.S. renewable energy developer.

Construction of Aktina will start in Q3, 2020 and will be brought online in blocks starting in mid-2021.

The acquisition, to be completed on August 6, will increase Tokyo Gas' renewable energy assets to 1.2 gigawatts (GW), a step closer to its 2030 goal of 5 GW.