LNG

Japanese liquefied natural gas imports in November fell by 1 percent, though imports of coal as an alternative for power generation increased by over 5 percent as the monthly costs for Japan of LNG cargoes jumped year-on-year by almost $1 billion, or 38 percent.

Japanese spot cargoes contracted in April to arrive in Japan at a later date cost an average of $9.10 per MMBtu compared with $5.70 per MMBtu in April 2017, a rise of 59 percent and along with oil-linked, long-term contract deliveries will be adding to the nation’s energy import costs as oil prices rebound.