Japan to Reduce LNG Imports by 1 Million Tons After Restarting Nuclear Reactor - Minister

Japan to Reduce LNG Imports by 1 Million Tons After Restarting Nuclear Reactor – Minister

The restart of only one nuclear reactor will allow Japan to reduce imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by one million tons, Japanese Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said on Wednesday

UrduPoint
Muhammad Irfan   
January 18, 2023

TOKYO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik – 18th January, 2023) The restart of only one nuclear reactor will allow Japan to reduce imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by one million tons, Japanese Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said on Wednesday.

During his address at the World Economic Forum, Nishimura said that Japan wanted to make the most of renewable energy, including nuclear energy.

Currently, ten reactors are in operation in Japan, and seven reactors have received permission to be restarted, with another ten going through safety checks for their restart, the minister said. In total, there will be 27 reactors producing energy in Japan, the minister said. According to Nishimura, if even one nuclear reactor is relaunched, Japan will be able to reduce LNG imports by 1 million tons.

In recent years, the Japanese government has decided to revive its nuclear energy sector and speed up the restarting of nuclear reactors. In late 2022, for example, Japan’s main nuclear regulatory body approved the operation of NPPs that have been in service for over 60 years, provided the facilities passed an inspection by experts.

Japan receives about 9% of all its LNG imports from the Russian Sakhalin-2 project. Japanese companies Mitsui and Mitsubishi said in August they would continue to participate in the project.

Japanese gas companies have also signed contracts with the Russian operator of Sakhalin-2. Reportedly, 60% of the gas produced at its facilities is sent to Japan.

Before the accident at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant in 2011, more than 50 nuclear reactors covered about a third of the country’s demand for electricity. After the accident, all reactors were shut down. In order to be restarted, they had to comply with all the safety rules set by the state regulatory body.