Japan LNG plunge
June 15 (LNGJ) - Japanese LNG imports dropped by almost 20 percent in May to 4.61 million tonnes compared with 5.76MT in May 2022. The Finance Ministry figures also showed the LNG cargo costs were down by more than 30 percent from a year ago to 412.77 billion yen ($2.95Bln), which was 31.6 percent lower than the May 2022 LNG cargo bill of 606.23Bln yen ($4.33Bln). Thermal coal imports also tumbled by 27.4 percent to 6.18MT.
The Ministry said that Asian LNG deliveries amounted to 1.36MT, Middle East cargo volumes came to 545,000 tonnes, Russian deliveries numbered 559,000 tonnes and US shipments came to 267,000 tonnes. The balance of deliveries in May of 1.88MT came mostly from Australia and the spot market.
Japanese state-owned bank extends another loan to ensure LNG purchases by nation’s biggest buyer JERA
The Japan Bank for International Cooperation, the leading state-owned financial institution, has signed an additional loan deal amounting to 100 billion yen ($675 million) for JERA Co Inc., Japan's biggest LNG buyer and power generation company.
Japanese LNG imports rise by 4 percent in six months and Tokyo pays 90 percent more for Russian cargoes
Japanese liquefied natural gas imports for the first six months of the current fiscal year rose by 4 percent and with deliveries from the Russian Far East Sakhalin liquefaction plant increasing year-on-year and costing 90 percent more than the previous year as more Atlantic Basin shipments pointed at Europe.
Japanese LNG and oil importers consider moves on following West's sanctions on sensitive area of energy
Japanese companies have begun moving towards imposing sanctions together with the US, the European Union members and other nations and targeting the sensitive areas for Japan of oil and liquefied natural gas imports after the invasion of Ukraine by its neighbour Russia.
Japanese LNG imports restructure as deliveries fall while costs are up 50 percent and Russian deliveries rise
Japanese liquefied natural gas imports tumbled 15.8 percent last month and cargoes from Russia surpassed those from the Middle East while shipments from US export plants dropped.
Japanese LNG imports in January 2022 amounted to 6.78 million tonnes, just under 100 cargoes, compared with 8.06MT, or 118 shipments, in January 2021, according to the preliminary trade figures from Japan's Ministry of Finance.
Imports of LNG to Japan in December had declined by 9 percent to 7.03MT compared with 7.72MT in December 2020.
The cargoes received in January cost 556.63 billion yen ($4.81Bln), which was over 50 percent more than in January 2021 when the costs were 365.84Bln ($3.16Bln).
The restructuring of Japan’s LNG deliveries came after the nation formally ceded the No. 1 LNG import spot to China.
Shipments to Chinese terminals in 2021 had amounted to 78.93MT which was 18.3 percent more than in 2020.
Japan’s Finance Ministry confirmed annual cargo deliveries to Japan as 74.31MT, down 0.2 percent on 2020 and 4.62MT less that the Chinese total for 2021.
Shipments of LNG to Japan in January 2022 from Asian countries dropped by 6.9 percent year-on-year to 1.59MT.
Mideast supply down
Middle East cargo deliveries from nations like Qatar crashed by 55.6 percent versus January 2021 to 634,000 tonnes. That's as contracts ended or were re-arranged.
LNG imports from the US dropped by 31.7 percent in January to 651,000 tonnes while deliveries from Russia during the month climbed by over 41 percent to 780,000 tonnes.
The balance of imports in January 2022 came from Australia, African nations and the spot market.
That segment of the imports came mainly from Australia and amounted to 3.12MT, which was lower than the January 2021 total of 3.96MT.
The December data showed that the Japanese imports of thermal coal fell by less than LNG shipments.
Thermal coal imports in January dropped 1.3 percent year-on-year to 10.54 million tonnes.
The almost parity levels between thermal coal imports and LNG shipments disappeared in 2021 with thermal coal deliveries jumping to 112.92MT, an increase of 7.7 percent.
Nuclear power generation in Japan is still much reduced with only five plants with nine reactors from a total of 16 plants with 50-plus reactors having gained the agreement of local authorities to resume operations.
Largest Japanese LNG buyer JERA Co. reports higher revenues and liabilities as quarterly net profits tumble
JERA Co. Inc., the world’s largest LNG procurement company and Japanese power assets holder, reported a surge in revenues as well as liabilities in the fiscal second quarter as ordinary and net income tumbled.
Japanese LNG imports jump for second month and for half year but outpaced by deliveries to China
Japan’s liquefied natural gas imports jumped for a second month and also rose for the first half of the year with higher volumes from the US and Russia, though shipments to Japanese terminals were well down on those to China.
Japanese LNG imports rebound led by Russian and US cargoes but outpaced by thermal coal deliveries
Japan’s liquefied natural gas imports rebounded last month with steady volumes from the Middle East and Australia and higher cargo numbers from Russia and the US, though LNG deliveries were outpaced by thermal coal shipments.
Japan’s Ministry of Economy and Trade stops publishing spot LNG prices for market transparency
Japan, the world's No. 1 liquefied natural gas importer, has stopped releasing monthly spot LNG prices contracted for or delivered to Japan that had been in force for seven years under the powerful Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and after being brought in to monitor price surges.
Tokyo Gas helps form alliance of corporate Japan to promote purchase of carbon-neutral LNG cargoes
Fifteen Japanese companies led by the utility Tokyo Gas have launched a group called the Carbon Neutral LNG Buyers Alliance to promote the use of cleaner LNG as a penance for using such huge amounts of thermal coal.
