• CERAWeek
  • March 18 - 22, 2024

Hiroki Sato

JERA Co.

Senior Executive Vice President, Chief LNG Transaction Officer

Hiroki Sato has over 25 years of experience in the field of LNG. Mr. Sato is one of the foundation members of JERA, a joint venture between Tokyo Electric Power and Chubu Electric Power to obtain fuel supplies. He is currently Chief LNG Transactions Officer, Senior Executive Vice President of JERA Co., Inc., and Special Advisor of Chubu. During his tenure with JERA and Chubu, Mr. Sato has orchestrated several innovative business deals, including the first master LNG sales and purchase agreement (MSPA) in Asia, joint purchasing, time swap, a tripartite sales and purchase agreement (SPA), liquefaction tolling agreements in the Freeport LNG Project, and a capacity agreement with European players. He graduated from Keio University, specializing in marketing management, and has previously worked as a diplomat in the Middle East.

Sessions With Hiroki Sato

Wednesday, 13 March

  • 11:30am - 12:30pm (CST) / -

    Global LNG: Seeking producer & buyer alignment

    Panel Gas

    The liquefaction investment impasse has been broken, and there is a growing likelihood that the LNG market is now headed for a new investment surge. Buyers have an abundance of supply options, and projects seeking third-party contracting will need to offer terms that address buyers’ underlying issues of demand uncertainty, deregulation, and creditworthiness. However, suppliers’ constraints need to be addressed, too, including cost structure and business model risk. What are key uncertainties faced by buyers in this market environment? How can suppliers best address buyers’ uncertainties through contracting terms? What advantages do aggregators have in achieving buyer alignment?