Shale gas from the US

February 6, 2013

TEPCO to buy US shale gas

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20130206_45.html

Tokyo Electric Power Company says it plans to buy shale gas from the United States to help cut down on fuel costs.

The utility says it has reached a broad agreement with 2 major Japanese trading houses to purchase 800-thousand tons of shale gas every year. The trading houses will buy from the US.

The 20-year-contract would begin in 2017.

TEPCO also says it's in the final stages of negotiations with other businesses to purchase 1-point-2-million tons of shale gas per year.

The utility says using shale gas, which is somewhat cheaper than conventional natural gas, would help cut overall fuel costs by around 530-million dollars a year.

Since the nuclear accident at the utility's Fukushima Daiichi power plant, rising costs of fuel for thermal power generation have been weighing on the company's finances. Thermal power fuel costs are likely to reach around 30-billion dollars this business year.