LNG

March 28 (LNGJ) - Japan’s future LNG needs may be further affected by moves to bring the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear facility in central Japan, one of the largest in the world by output, back on line. Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) Holdings, the publicly listed company and plant operator majority-owned by the Government of Japan, said it had submitted a proposal to deliver nuclear fuel to the No. 7 reactor at its idled Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant as early as April 15.

   JERA Co. Inc., Japan’s largest LNG importer, is 50-percent owned by TEPCO and another 50 percent stake in JERA is held by Chubu Electric Power. TEPCO said it was seeking approval for the fuel plan from the Nuclear Regulation Authority. However, it was still uncertain whether the 1.35-million-kilowatt reactor located in the coastal area of Niigata Prefecture can actually be restarted soon because such a move still requires the consent of all local governments in the service area.

European natural gas prices and LNG values of the Dutch Title Transfer Facility (TTF) fell by more than 5 percent on the week while the Japan-Korea Marker for spot cargoes remained solid as other energy markets including crude oil dropped towards mid-2021 levels amid mixed economic and demand signals.

Australia shipped fewer liquefied natural gas cargoes in January than it did in the previous month with demand ebbing in North Asia as inventories grew and spot cargo prices increased, though the rise of European values did not attract any Australian shipments.