Sanctuary Chinese list?"Stand" in China when confessing natural gas in Japan

[Global Times, a special reporter in Japan, Yue Linwei Global Times reporter Wang Dongliu, Song Yi] After the Russian President Putin recently ordered the adjustment of Russian and Japanese energy cooperation development project "Sahalin 2", the Japanese government decided to make two -handed preparation. According to Kyodo News on the 16th, the Japanese government plans to increase the import of natural gas from other countries while maintaining the relevant rights and interests of their domestic enterprises to participate in the "Sahalin 2" project. As Japan is concerned about the safety and instability of energy supply, China's orders in the global natural gas market have surged. Chinese energy experts told the Global Times that the increase in natural gas procurement in China is due to normal market needs.

Data map. Picture source IC Photo

Forced to "open source throttling"

"Japan Economic Shimbun" reported on the 16th that Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Wenxiong held talks with the Minister of Economy and Industry Takayuki on the 15th. After the talks, Takaya said that he would continue to firmly safeguard the rights and interests of Japanese companies to participate in the "Sahalin 2" project. The annual output of LPG (LNG) of "Sahalin 2" is 10 million tons, and 6 million tons are exported to Japan, accounting for nearly 10%of Japan's LNG imports. At present, Russia's Natural Gas Industry Co., Ltd. has 50%of the Sahalin Energy Company and 1 shares, Shell Company has 27.5%of the shares, and the shares of Japan Mitsui and Mitsubishi Group account for 12.5%and 10%, respectively.

Earlier, Russian President Putin signed a presidential order to order the operation of the "Sahalin 2" project to a new company. The Japanese government will coordinate the new company in Russia as a future operating entity with Sanai and Mitsubishi. However, according to the conditions proposed by Russia, it may be difficult to maintain investment. Although the supply is not tight at present, the long -term contract of "Sahalin 2" may be partially interrupted in the future, and the Japanese industry is beginning to worry that there may be insufficient supply in China.

Russian President Putin Data Map. Picture source: IC Photo

Benzhuang Wuhong, president of the Japan Gas Association, said on the 15th that all means to ensure the supply of LNG. Once the supply is tight, consider saving qi depending on the situation. The Ministry of Economic and Industry of Japan also began to study new systems of family and enterprises when supply and demand are tight. The Japanese government will also further discuss the necessity of setting natural gas to save digital targets or forced use for large enterprises.

According to Kyodo News, while the Japanese government strives to maintain the rights and interests of the "Sahalin 2" project, in order to get rid of Russia, it is seeking to purchase LNG substitution from a "friendly country". On the 13th, the Minister of Energy of the Four Kingdoms of the United States, Japan, Australia and India held a meeting. The Minister of Economic and Industry of Japan, Tatomi Kato, held talks with Australia and the United States, respectively, requiring the two countries to increase production LNG, and the United States and Australia "expressed their understanding of Japan."

LNG supports Japan

According to the "Japan Economic News", the main component of LNG is methane, which is a liquefied form of natural gas, which is convenient for shipping. Japan is surrounded by the sea, and the imported natural gas is LNG, accounting for 24%of the total amount of energy in Japan, of which 70%LNG is used for firepower. According to data from the Ministry of Finance in Japan: In 2021, Japan imported a total of about 74.32 million tons of LNG, the highest proportion of imports from Australia (15.8%), followed by Malaysia (13.6%), Qatar (12.1%), the United States (9.5%), and the United States (9.5%) and the United States. Russia (8.8%).

With the slow progress of the nuclear power plant, LNG thermal power generation has become the source of Japan's basic power. In 2020, LNG thermal power generation accounted for 41.9%, exceeding 32.5%of coal thermal power generation. The advantage of LNG thermal power generation is that the amount of greenhouse gas generated is only half of coal thermal power generation, and the quality of pollution of atmospheric matter is also less. However, compared with petroleum and coal, it is difficult to store for a long time at room temperature at room temperature. Japan's domestic inventory is only 2 to 3 weeks.

Japan's NHK website believes that compared with other regions, Japan is more convenient to import LNG from "Sahalin 2", and usually can be transported to the transportation route in about 3 days. Therefore, "Sahalin 2" is a energy base that is low in price and can be supplying long -term stable supply.

Russia's "Businessman" previously reported that Japan is constantly strengthening sanctions against Russia, and Prime Minister Kishita Tianshi also issued an extremely tough statement, calling on the upper limit of the price to deprive Russia's oil income. Against such a background, Russia's stop supply has become more and more realistic.

According to the analysis of the Japanese current affairs agency, although the Japanese government made a request to increase production to the United States and Australia, the actual increasing production of the country of output often takes several years. At the same time, European countries such as Germany have also increasingly noticed the importance of LNG, so it is difficult to determine whether Japan can make it as expected.

"Junior" China List?

Russia BFM News reported on the 16th that in the "Sahalin 2" project, Shell Group's shares may be transferred to Russian companies or sold to other investors. The Japanese are worried that the share of the shell will be sold to Chinese companies. This is nearly 30 % of the shares. At that time, the natural gas of the project will "divert" to the Chinese market to a greater extent.

In the context of the difficulties of natural gas imports in the country, some Japanese media have focused their attention on China's huge demand for international gas. "Japan Economic News" reported on the 13th that China is rapidly increasing LNG's long -term contract. In the context of the increasingly fierce background of the Russian and Ukraine Crisis and the global LNG battle, China's actions are becoming a "typhoon eye." It is reported that in Japan, the growth of LNG consumption is difficult to sustain, and the progress of de -carbonization has lacks room for signing large -scale long -term contracts. European power and natural gas companies are also in the same situation. The long -term contracts that are capable of accepting natural gas production countries are limited to the situation of "China and International Petroleum Capital". "Japan Economic News" reports that China is rapidly expanding long -term contracts on liquefied natural gas. China's natural gas demand hit the highest growth rate in 2021. The demand for LNG increased by 18%compared with 2020 to nearly 79 million tons. China surpassed Japan to become the world's largest LNG importer. In the future, China's demand for LNG is likely to exceed 100 million tons.

"Japan does have the logic of worrying in energy." Lin Boqiang, Dean of the China Energy Policy Research Institute of Xiamen University on the 17th, analyzed the reporter of the Global Times on the 17th that due to political factors, the demand for Russia's natural gas in Europe was greatly reduced, but China’s’s in China Demand is still increasing, and China has been deepening with Russia's natural gas in recent years.

Lin Boqiang said that Japan's natural gas demand is in a relatively stable stage, and China's natural gas imports are growing rapidly. This is a normal market demand, so the international market participation capabilities must be stronger than Japan. He believes that when China has increased LNG procurement in the past few years, it has not affected the supply and demand status of the international market, and the price of LNG at that time was also low. Western political attitude towards Russia is an important factor affecting the state of supply and demand in international energy.

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