
November 24, 2020
OIL & GAS
POWER & NUCLEAR
RENEWABLES, OTHER
As INPEX pushes forward with engineering work at its Abadi LNG project in Indonesia, aiming for a final investment decision (FID) in 2022, new issues have come to the fore. A recent cap on gas prices set by Indonesia, and the announcement by project partner Shell of its desire to exit, mean that INPEX needs to secure support elsewhere. In theory, the government’s wish to keep Japan at the top of global LNG trade to ward off a Chinese ascendancy should bring other Japanese firms to the project. Still, even geopolitics come at a price. The question is, who will pay for the $20 billion Abadi development?
INSIDE VIEW: VENA ENERGY JAPAN CHAIRMAN SPEAKS ON SOLAR AND WIND INDUSTRY IN JAPAN
Vena Energy was one of the first to enter Japan’s renewable energy market after the introduction of the Feed-In Tariffs. Since arriving in Japan in 2013, the Singapore-based company has quickly grown into one of the country’s Top 5 solar and wind players. We spoke with Vena Energy’s Japan Chairman, Kameoka Nobuyuki, on why Japan is such an attractive market for renewables, what other investments the company is looking at, and what the declining FIT prices / switch to FIP means for the industry.
GLOBAL VIEW
As Tesla heads into the S&P500, the EV makers’ gap with Toyota and other Japanese automakers is only growing. The World Bank has cut mid-term oil price forecasts. Saudi Aramco raises funds via a bond sale. The U.K. unveiled an ambitious green energy plan. See details on these and other political and business events in our regular Global View column.
EVENT REVIEW: Japan – Canada
A review of the 2020 Japan-Canada Energy Partnership Forum.
Editorial Team
Yuriy Humber (Editor-in-Chief)
Tom O’Sullivan (Japan, Middle East, Africa)
John Varoli (Americas)
Regular Contributors
Mayumi Watanabe
Daniel Shulman
Art & Design
22 Graphics Inc.

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Japan Oil Price: $46.20 / barrel
Japan (JLC) LNG Price: $5.39 per Mbtu
Tokyo Gas, Marubeni to build a ¥200 billion LNG-fired power plant in Vietnam
(Asia Nikkei, Nov. 19)
LNG price reaches one year high on Chinese/South Korean demand
(Nikkei Shimbun, Nov. 17)
TAKEAWAY: LNG prices in Asia have been on a tear since August, quickly rising on expectations of colder weather from some of the lowest levels ever seen. LNG cargoes on a DES-basis traded around $6.50 to $7 / mmbtu level last week, three times the level of spring when the global pandemic caused widespread lockdowns. However, since most of Japan’s LNG imports come via long-term contracts, most of which are still tied to oil prices, the change in LNG spot prices will only have a mild impact on the domestic import price.
Tokyo Gas walks away from Mexico LNG supply deal
(Bloomberg, Nov. 18)
INPEX to lay second natural gas pipeline in central Japan
(Sekiyu Tsushin, Nov. 18)
Tokyo Gas likely to restart share buybacks from spring 2021: Mizuho
(DZH traders report)
Tokyo Gas and Osaka Gas score highly in ranking of staff salaries
(Gendai Digital via Yahoo News, Nov. 18)
| No. of operable nuclear reactors | 33 | |||
| of which | applied for restart | 25 | ||
| approved by regulator | 16 | |||
| restarted | 9 | |||
| in operation today | 3 | |||
| able to use MOX fuel | 4 | |||
| No. of nuclear reactors under construction | 3 | |||
| No. of reactors slated for decommissioning | 27 | |||
| of which | completed work | 1 | ||
| started process | 4 | |||
| yet to start / not known | 22 | |||
Power Utilities’ LNG Imports Vs Stockpiles
Source: Company websites, JANSI and JAIF, as of Nov. 22, 2020
Japan releases FY2019 energy consumption figures (preliminary)
(Japan NRG, Nov. 18)
(Asia Nikkei, Nov. 22)
Telecoms giant NTT plays down concerns that it will take control of the electricity market
(Diamond, Nov. 14)
TAKEAWAY: It’s possible to overestimate the impact that NTT Group, no matter its size, would have on the electricity market. It is, after all, a new player in this field. Still, NTT is partly state-owned, and it’s often described as more of a ministry than a corporation. Given its firepower and administrative resource, NTT could become a state-guided instrument for disruption in the power market. NTT’s rival in the mobile carrier space, SoftBank, has already built a sizeable presence in power generation by creating solar and wind power stations. NTT may see opportunities to forge even further synergies between telco and power distribution in the increasingly IoT-driven, smart-grid cityscapes.
Japan’s operating nuclear reactor number rises to three; two more close to restart
(Japan NRG, Nov. 23)
(Gendai, Nov. 17)
TAKEAWAY: Should Kansai Electric manage to receive local political backing it could return online all seven of its reactors by mid-summer 2021. That, and the restart of TEPCO’s Unit 7 at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa NPP, also expected in the next six months, would cardinally change the picture for nuclear power in Japan. However, Japan NRG is currently cautious about the possibility of this “best-case” scenario for nuclear power in Japan.
EDITORIAL: Not enough debate on future of nuclear power in Japan
(Nikkei, Nov. 17)
TAKEAWAY: Backers of more renewable energy in Japan seem to be gaining more government attention and support since this summer. This may be due to the Japanese government starting to take notes of Europe’s energy policies more than those of the U.S., its traditional beacon. While there are many nuances and caveats, one major difference in the Western European approach is its lesser interest in nuclear power. The “old guard” in Japan are skeptical of following the European path of renewables-only and letting go of the country’s nuclear capacity. As the Nikkei editorial writer notes, the idea of how Japan can achieve decarbonization goals without turning to nuclear power has not yet been made clear by the government.
Kashiwazaki community explores ways to kick the nuclear habit
(Nikkei, Nov. 18)
TAKEAWAY: The localities of Kashiwazaki and Kariwa co-host a major nuclear power plant, which is operated by TEPCO. However, since the 2011 Fukushima disaster, all of the nuclear capacity owned by TEPCO has been shut down and / or slated for decommissioning. The utility has been particularly keen to restart the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant and last week’s local elections in both towns suggested local support for this action. However, even if the plant does restart, it seems highly likely that only two of its seven reactors will ever come back online. This leaves the revenues of the localities much lower than they once were, which is why the towns are looking at other energy options. This does not suggest the towns are opposed to restarting the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear station.
Covid-19: Domestic electricity revenue down despite increased consumption
(Denki Shimbun, Nov. 20)
October Switching Data: decrease across all 10 areas in Japan
(Gas Energy News, Nov. 16)
TEPCO hydropower dam blamed for dry river
(Asahi Shimbun via Yahoo News, Nov. 19)
The little-known, turn-of-the-century battle for the electricity market
(Diamond, Nov. 15)
Spot Electricity Prices (24h)
Spot Electricity Prices (2020)
Environment Ministry pushes for Japan to disclose CO2 emissions per company unit
(Nikkei Shimbun, Nov. 22)
Japan needs ¥10 trillion ($96 billion) green fund to support energy transition: Govt. Advisor
(Bloomberg, Nov. 18)
TAKEAWAY: As we noted in one of the top items in last week’s Japan NRG Weekly, Suga’s government is assembling resources to push for more public and private sector moves into energy efficiency and decarbonization. These moves will include tax break for renewable energy projects, making more land available for solar, wind and geothermal stations, including in national parks and on land currently classified as reserved for agriculture. The government also wants to support batteries, EVs, fuel cells, the hydrogen economy, and carbon capture technology development.
Universities invent alloy that turns impacts into electricity
(ITmedia, Nov. 16)
Toyota Tsusho signs exclusive distribution agreement for SFC fuel cell
(New Energy Business News, Nov. 17)
Idemitsu invests in Swiss clean tech fund Emerald Technology Ventures
(Company press release, Nov. 16)
Ministry scraps hydrogen station subsidy after discovering renewables condition not met
(Mega Solar Business News/Nikkei BP, Nov. 18)
Tohoku Electric to build new geothermal plant in Akita, opening set for 2029
(Denki Shimbun, Nov. 18)
SPARX to build 7.1 MW woody biomass power plant in Toki City, Gifu Prefecture
(New Energy Business News, Nov. 16)
Osaka Gas group’s liquid CO2 plant goes online
(Denki Shimbun, Nov. 17)
Giant Indonesian LNG Project; May Need All-Japan Support
INPEX Corp. made a global name for itself by taking the lead on one of the world’s most expensive LNG projects, the $45 billion Ichthys development in Australia. Now, the state-backed Japanese company seeks to follow this up by taking on the giant Abadi LNG project in Indonesia.
As INPEX pushes forward with engineering work at Abadi, aiming for a final investment decision (FID) in 2022, new issues have come to the fore. A recent cap on gas prices in Indonesia, and the announcement by project partner Royal Dutch Shell of its desire to exit, mean that INPEX needs to secure support elsewhere. In theory, the Japanese government’s wish to keep Japan at the top of global LNG trade in the face of a rising China should bring other Japanese firms to the project. Still, even geopolitics come at a price. The question is, who will pay for the $20 billion Abadi development?
Abadi is in one of the world’s largest undeveloped gas resources and sits in close proximity to the fuel’s biggest buyers. The project in the Masela Block, off the coast of Indonesia, marks a huge resource opportunity for INPEX. There is plenty of corporate pride involved in having discovered and potentially developing a find of this magnitude.
The importance of Japan’s relationship with Indonesia was in clear view as both current Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide, and his predecessor Abe Shinzo, made the Southeast Asian country their first stop abroad. Energy and security are tightly interlinked in the relationship between the two countries with Indonesia among the top suppliers of coal and LNG to Japan. In fact, the world’s oldest LNG deal is between Indonesia and Japanese buyers.
So, why did Indonesian regulator SKK Migas announce in July that Shell plans to divest its 35% stake in Abadi, valued at up to $2.2 billion?
THE CHALLENGES TO BRINGING ABADI TO MARKET
Holding 360 billion cubic metres of gas, Abadi is one of the biggest gas fields discovered in Asia over the past 20 years. However, the cost of development is high relative to other global LNG projects. The breakeven LNG price, based on delivery to Asia, is estimated at around $8 per million British thermal units (MMBtu). At the very least, Abadi would need to sell gas for at least $6/MMBtu to make a 10% return. In comparison, Qatar projects can breakeven at around $4/MMBtu based on delivery to Asia.
There are also engineering challenges, and INPEX’s relatively small LNG project development history may be an issue for new investors. Development of Abadi’s proposed 9.5 million ton/year onshore liquefaction scheme will be technically challenging. The project includes a large FPSO unit capable of handling 51 million cm per day of gas and up to 36,000 barrels per day of condensate, as well as a deep-water trunk pipeline from the Abadi field to liquefaction facilities on Yamdena in the remote Tanimbar Islands.
What’s more, Indonesia is a thorny jurisdiction. Jakarta has surely tested INPEX and Shell’s patience following a history of delays and disagreements. The final development plan was only officially approved last year, 18 years after Abadi was discovered.
Ironically, the project could have been well advanced by now if Indonesian President Joko Widodo had not vetoed the previously proposed – and potentially cheaper – floating LNG (FLNG) concept in 2016. At that time, INPEX and Shell estimated the FLNG option to cost around $14 billion.
Shell’s withdrawal from the project comes as no surprise. The company originally entered the scheme on the premise of FLNG, a technology that Shell has pioneered. The company is likely frustrated with the glacial progress of the project to date.
Shell’s departure, however, leaves INPEX in the lurch. With an FID set for 2022, INPEX believed it could start to produce first gas by 2028. Now, this seems unrealistic. Shell’s divestment is expected to take at least 12-24 months. This suggests the FID is unlikely before 2023, with first gas more likely to come after 2030.

INPEX will hope a new partner can bring either the same technological capability as Shell, or similar LNG marketing experience. However, it is unlikely that other supermajors would be interested at this time.
Asia’s national oil companies, with ready access to home markets, might be a better fit. The Chinese, however, have recently signed up for minority stakes in Russia’s Arctic LNG2 project and are unlikely to be seeking further LNG exposure.
Under preliminary agreements, Indonesian utility PLN is projected to take 2 million to 3 million tons of LNG per year from Abadi, while Pupuk Indonesia is expected to buy 150 million cubic feet per day via pipeline.
Source: INPEX
The trouble with domestic sales will be Indonesia’s new gas price regulation, introduced in April 2020, which caps domestic gas sales at $6/MMBtu.
Indonesian industrial customers pay some of the highest gas prices in Southeast Asia, despite the country being the largest regional gas producer. Average domestic gas prices are over $9/MMBtu, higher than other neighboring countries, where average domestic gas prices range from $6 to $8/MMBtu.
Crucially, INPEX will need a much higher domestic gas price. Recent regulation only covers Indonesian prices up until 2025, and it’s unclear how it will evolve afterwards. INPEX will need to strike an agreement with the Indonesian government before starting production.
ALL-JAPAN TOGETHER NOW
Today, Japanese LNG investors and buyers have access to a much broader set of projects around the world, with significant new supply emerging in Mozambique and offers coming in continuously from U.S., Canadian, Russia, Australian and other projects. Still, the Abadi development carries weight, not only for INPEX, but also for Japan. Indonesia is one of Tokyo’s core partners in the Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy, a concept that seeks to keep in check the rising maritime ambitions of China in the region.
For INPEX, Abadi is also the culmination of decades of work in the region and on this field in particular. Despite the above-mentioned hurdles, there has been notable progress at Abadi since the revised plan of development was approved last year. Site surveys are progressing as planned, the land acquisition process has started, and tenders for onshore LNG, FPSO, gas export pipeline and other items are underway.
While other Japanese firms have been content to take on minority stakes in overseas upstream and LNG projects, INPEX dared to take the lead on the Ichthys development in northwest Australia. Ichthys has developed into one of the most expensive capital projects of all time and recently necessitated a restructuring of INPEX’s debt.
The company sees Abadi as the next step in its development into a significant energy firm with access to major resources.
In today’s world, with few FIDs for LNG export projects on the horizon, there are even fewer opportunities to join projects with bitesize stakes. That could help INPEX persuade domestic utilities and energy trading firms to band together and make Abadi an all-Japan affair.
Still, given the billions of dollars needed to bring Abadi online, INPEX has to be careful not to place too much of its resources in one asset. Its outlay on Ichthys, the budget of which blew up by a third from initial estimates, calls for risk diversification.
Whether INPEX’s new partners are all Japanese or not is yet to be seen. Either way, INPEX is unlikely to take on the Abadi challenge by itself.

We spoke with Vena Energy’s Japan Chairman, Kameoka Nobuyuki on why Japan is such an attractive market for renewables, what other investments the company is looking at, and what the declining FIT prices / switch to FIP means for the industry.
BIOGRAPHY
Born in 1950, Kameoka Nobuyuki joined Sumitomo Bank after graduation and worked in their U.K. office in addition to stints in operations and the M&A department. After rising to the rank of Executive Officer of then Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp., he went to manage a major Japanese property developer, then switched back to banking to act as advisor and later managing director of Morgan Stanley Securities in Tokyo. Kameoka-san joined Vena Energy in 2018.
Recently, there has been more focus in Japan on wind than solar. Which of these is of greater interest for Vena Energy?
We are equally focused on expanding both our wind and solar activities. Japan is our main market, with over 1,000 megawatts of solar and wind projects under operation, construction and ready-to-build stage. We have an even larger number of megawatts under development in both technologies.
In addition, we continue to successfully participate in the solar tenders with our large-scale solar projects while, at the same time, we progress on the construction and development of onshore and offshore wind projects.
Did you consider any other energy investments in Japan outside of solar and wind?
We believe that the renewable sector will naturally evolve towards closer integration with energy storage systems, which would allow solar and wind generation profiles to become steady and programmable. Vena Energy has already developed energy storage projects in some of our other markets and we are currently building the largest battery energy storage system in the state of Queensland in Australia, with the ability to store up to 150 megawatt hours of energy.
We are also looking at other promising energy storage technologies, such as green hydrogen, which we expect to expand in the medium-long term. We will definitely also consider making such investments in Japan, as soon as a clear regulatory framework is established by the Japanese government.
What are your thoughts about the current levels of FIT? Is it possible to continue to invest in new solar and wind projects at current FIT levels?
The Japanese renewable energy sector began its expansion thanks to the introduction of the FIT system less than a decade ago following the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear disaster. Despite the late start compared to many countries in Europe and North America, the Japanese FIT framework has successfully attracted numerous renewable energy players, and the Japanese renewable sector has rapidly become very sizeable.
The FIT level of solar and onshore wind projects has then progressively reduced over the years, reflecting the continuous cost reductions and economies of scale achieved across the renewable energy’s value chain. This has rendered the cost of renewable energy cheaper and more competitive, while also pushing the least efficient developers out of the market.
With the switch from FIT to tenders, the tariffs continue to reduce and some renewable developers may no longer be able to pursue new project developments at the current tariff levels. Only a handful of renewable energy companies have actively developed projects at these tariff levels and participated in the solar tenders with large-scale sites. Vena Energy has a fully integrated business model, with in-house development, construction, operations and maintenance capabilities. This allowed us to reduce our costs while retaining our quality, and to be competitive at the current tariff levels. In fact, just a few weeks ago we emerged as one of the winners of the latest solar tender, being awarded the largest project in the tender of approximately 70 megawatts.
What are your expectations for the Feed-In Premium? Will it help to transform renewables projects in Japan?
Similar to other system transitions, we believe that the outcome of the transition to FIP will depend on the details of its implementation. If the FIP model is properly implemented, we expect the economics of projects to be broadly preserved, hence we do not anticipate critical differences with the previous FIT model. We understand that this is another step towards a more structured electricity market, which can be seen as a positive signal for a high-potential energy market such as the one in Japan.
What is the biggest issue you face as a renewables developer in Japan right now?
This year the COVID-19 pandemic has probably been on top of the issues list for most businesses worldwide. For Vena Energy the main focus has been to preserve the health and safety of our team.
The operating solar and wind projects have demonstrated their resilience to potential disruptions related to the pandemic. These assets are generally self-sufficient and only require natural sun irradiation and wind. The absence of a supply chain helps minimize disruptions and risks for the employees that regularly operate and maintain the projects.
The development of new projects, however, usually requires physical meetings and interactions with local stakeholders, including community members, landowners and local authorities. These activities have generally progressed more slowly, due to the health and safety measures we took to protect both employees and local stakeholders from potential exposure to the virus.
However, no collective relief measure or organic extensions for FIT deadlines were provided by the authorities, as other markets may have provided during these unprecedented times.
Is Japan still an attractive market for new players / investors in solar and wind?
The Japanese renewable sector is generally considered more complex than other key markets. This is partly due to higher costs and risks associated with development and construction activities, mainly deriving from Japan’s unique geomorphological and land-related complexities. New players without an established presence, proven experience and a history of operations in the country may struggle to cope with the intrinsic difficulties of the sector.
We noticed that participants in the solar tenders rarely include new players for large-scale solar projects. In contrast, we noticed a high level of interest from foreign energy companies to partner with local developers and IPPs for the co-development of offshore wind projects.
Japan is the biggest revenue contributor to VENA. Why has it evolved this way and will it change?
We have an enduring focus on Japan since first establishing our operations in 2013, and we aim to continue to operate in Japan as a going concern indefinitely. More than one third of Vena Energy’s global team is based in Japan, in Tokyo and across our local offices in the country.
Over the past eight years we have progressively built solid relationships with host communities and local stakeholders across the country. They have welcomed us as a trusted long-term partner for the operations of our solar and wind projects, and they continue to support us on the development of new projects in neighboring areas.
From a macro perspective, Japan has credible policymakers and well-established off-takers, as well as a solid track-record of averting retroactive regulatory changes. Vena Energy is an investment-grade rated company and we aim to retain a strong financial standing and sound credit profile. Our significant exposure to Japanese cashflows is compatible with our credit risk targets, and we plan to maintain a similar exposure in the medium-long term.
Lastly, the Japanese energy market and growth prospects are sizeable across the technologies in which we are active: solar, onshore wind, and offshore wind. We are also hopeful about future integration of energy storage in the Japanese energy infrastructure.
Recently, both TOCOM and EEX started to offer electricity hedging contracts on their trading platforms. Are these useful developments from your perspective?
These new instruments are certainly valuable additions to the Japanese electricity market. We look forward to participating in a more structured and mature market that offers short and long-term balancing solutions, route-to-market agreements, etc.
Last year VENA conducted a USD-denominated Euro Note offering. This February you sold debut bonds, also in USD. Would you consider issuing JPY denominated bonds or notes in the future?
We registered our Euro Medium Term Note program on the Singapore Exchange in November 2019. The program is sized at $1 billion but it allows Vena Energy to issue bonds in different currencies, including JPY.
In February 2020 we issued our debut green bond as a benchmark issuance of $325 million. We have subsequently swapped this bond to JPY in order to align it with our cashflows, which are predominantly from Japanese projects and, therefore, also denominated in JPY. We expect to continue to issue green bonds under this EMTN program as Vena Energy continues to grow, and to add new projects across our active markets.
BY TOM O’SULLIVAN
Below are some of last week’s most important international developments monitored by the Japan NRG team because of their potential to impact energy supply and demand, as well as prices. We see the following as relevant to Japanese and international energy investors.
Tesla will enter the S&P500 U.S. stock market index on Dec. 21 in another major breakthrough for the electric car manufacturer and for the broader EV industry. With a market capitalization of $450 billion+ Tesla’s market valuation is now 2.5x Toyota’s. Other EV industry players in the U.S. also saw significant increases in market capitalizations last week, including Blink Charging, Lordstown Motors and Nikola. General Motors announced it would increase its EV investments by over 30% to $27 billion through 2025.
Shipping:
On Friday, the International Maritime Organization approved a ban on the use of heavy fuel oils by ships in Arctic waters starting in July 2024.
Oil:
In its Q3 Commodity Outlook Report published last week the World Bank cut its forecast for 2020 oil prices to $41, and reduced its forecast for 2021 to $44. In a major departure, the bank also indicated that it might reduce its long-range oil price forecast to $60 from $70. The bank also opined that the pandemic might have accelerated peak oil demand by a decade. John Baffes, the World Bank Commodities Economist, also expressed his view that the “writing is on the wall” for fossil fuel companies.
China:
Yongcheng Coal & Electricity Holdings Group Co. failed to repay a maturing debt of $150 million indicating some stresses in China’s local bond market. The power company had a triple-A local credit rating.
South Korea:
Korea Airlines will inject $1.4 billion in equity to Asiana, South Korea’s second largest airline, and acquire a 64% stake in a rescue effort coordinated by the Korean government. This should be a positive for jet fuel consumption in the region.
Taiwan:
The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Andrew Wheeler, will visit Taiwan from Dec. 5.
Hong Kong/Singapore:
The opening of the world’s first quarantine-free travel corridor, due to start on Nov. 22 between the two cities, has been delayed by two weeks after a surge of new infections in Hong Kong. This continues to pressure the outlook for jet fuel consumption in East Asia. Singapore also said it will tighten borders with Malaysia and Japan.
Malaysia:
The local Japanese arm of the Malay LCC, Air Asia, filed for bankruptcy in Japan last Tuesday with debts of over $200 million.
Philippines:
A moratorium on the exploration of oil and gas fields in the South China Sea has been lifted with PXP Energy Corp., a Philippines upstream oil and gas company, expected to jointly develop oil and gas projects with China’s CNOOC.
Australia:
Prime Minister Morrison, who was in Japan last week, was the first foreign head of government to visit the country since Prime Minister Suga assumed power on Sept. 15. The countries signed a Reciprocal Access Defense Agreement that may also help to secure freedom of navigation rights in the international waters used to transport LNG and coal from Australia to Japan.
Middle East:
1). Saudi Arabia’s Aramco raised $8 billion in a bond offering last week as it struggles to meet dividend obligations due to low oil prices.
2). Saudi Arabia became the first Middle East country to host a G20 heads of government meeting on Sunday.
3). Iran is poised to further tighten Covid-19 lockdowns.
Africa:
The ongoing conflict in Ethiopia could threaten the construction of the 6 GW Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile River. Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation owns the project and it was supposed to supply electricity to the populations in the Horn of Africa region.
Norway:
Norwegian Air announced that it would file bankruptcy in a further blow to Europe’s international travel business and further clouding the outlook for jet fuel usage.
United Kingdom:
1). The U.K. prime minister announced a 10-point, $16 billion plan last week to advance use of clean energy. The plan included:
40 GW of offshore wind investments by 2030; 5 GW of low-carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030; promotion of nuclear power by developing large and smaller-scale plants; the end for sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030; investment in zero-emission public transport; promoting advance use of zero-emission planes and ships; removal of 10 million tons of carbon dioxide by 2030; and
planting of 30,000 hectares of trees every year.
2). The U.K. government will issue its first sovereign green bonds in 2021.
Americas:
1). The Mexican president indicated last week that the U.S.-Canada-Mexico FTA may not apply to Mexico’s energy sector, potentially complicating investments into Mexico’s oil and gas and electricity markets that were opened up in 2014.
2). Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, announced last week that he has given $790 million to 16 organizations working on fighting climate change as part of his Bezos Earth Fund, a $10 billion fund he established to fight climate change.
The 2020 Japan-Canada Energy Partnership Forum
Last week Canada hosted its annual energy partnership forum with the Japanese government and energy industry with the focus mainly on LNG and propane. Energy ministers from the Canadian federal government and the British Columbia and Alberta provincial governments attended.
Senior METI and JOGMEC officials represented the Japanese government.
Energy industry representatives included Alta Gas, Astomas Energy, Prince Rupert Port Authority and the LNG Canada project.
The EIA ranks Canada #3 in terms of oil reserves and #17 in terms of gas reserves. Various projects are being developed in British Columbia to deliver gas to Asia including Japan with the primary advantage being the significantly shorter shipping routes compared to Gulf of Mexico projects.
Investments in LNG in British Columbia and Alberta could total $500 billion by mid-century. Japan is currently getting LNG from 14 countries but not yet from Canada. However, Japan does source propane and coal from Canada.
With regard to natural gas and oil, the problems Canada faces continue to be mainly around the construction of pipelines to deliver gas and oil to the west coast for onward delivery to Asia. The country is also preparing to enshrine a net-zero carbon emissions law into force that could further restrict its ability to construct more pipeline infrastructure.
A Biden administration could also frustrate Canada’s efforts to move oil and gas freely across the U.S.-Canadian border as well as placing restrictions on the construction of energy projects south of the border.
The other areas for energy cooperation between Japan and Canada are nuclear power including small modular reactors and carbon capture and storage projects where Canada is a world leader.
| As of close on Nov 20, 2020 | Ticker | Market Cap | 1W (%) | MTD (%) | YTD (%) | |
| billions of yen | ||||||
| Energy | ||||||
| INPEX CORP | 1605 JP | 842.30 | 5.11 | -48.40 | 6.59 | |
| JAPAN PETROLEUM EXPL. | 1662 JP | 105.16 | 2.34 | -35.92 | -0.38 | |
| ENEOS HOLDINGS INC | 5020 JP | 1210.06 | 1.19 | -20.30 | 1.96 | |
| IDEMITSU KOSAN CO LTD | 5019 JP | 657.98 | 0.18 | -22.77 | 1.38 | |
| COSMO ENERGY HOLD. | 5021 JP | 149.96 | 0.68 | -25.93 | 11.54 | |
| Industrials | ||||||
| MITSUBISHI CORP | 8058 JP | 3728.42 | 0.54 | -8.69 | 2.12 | |
| MITSUI & CO LTD | 8031 JP | 3163.77 | 0.57 | -0.83 | 2.11 | |
| JGC HOLDINGS CORP | 1963 JP | 244.96 | 0.43 | -45.41 | -0.94 | |
| CHIYODA CORP | 6366 JP | 63.26 | -0.82 | -14.13 | -0.41 | |
| Utilities | ||||||
| TOKYO ELECTRIC POWER | 9501 JP | 464.43 | -2.69 | -38.12 | 0.35 | |
| CHUBU ELECTRIC POWER | 9502 JP | 989.57 | 2.92 | -12.31 | 7.01 | |
| KANSAI ELECTRIC POWER | 9503 JP | 934.41 | -0.24 | -17.73 | -0.66 | |
| KYUSHU ELECTRIC POWER | 9508 JP | 448.58 | 1.94 | 3.64 | 5.23 | |
| J-POWER | 9513 JP | 267.80 | -3.30 | -42.58 | -3.69 | |
| TOKYO GAS CO | 9531 JP | 1135.95 | -1.06 | -0.87 | 11.22 | |
| OSAKA GAS CO | 9532 JP | 916.28 | 0.37 | 7.70 | 12.42 | |
| TOHO GAS CO | 9533 JP | 726.57 | 8.69 | 55.87 | 32.56 | |
| SAIBU GAS CO | 9536 JP | 117.33 | 0.80 | 27.30 | 24.75 | |
| SHIZUOKA GAS CO | 9543 JP | 75.43 | 0.10 | 5.01 | 9.15 | |
Japan Oil Price
Crude Imports Vs Processed Crude
Monthly Oil Import Volume (Mbpd)
Monthly Crude Processed (Mbpd)
Domestic Fuel Sales
SOURCES: the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI), Ministry of Finance, and the Petroleum Association of Japan
Japan LNG Price
LNG Imports: Japan Total vs Gas Utilities Only
Total LNG Imports (M t)
LNG Imports by Gas Firms Only (M t)
City Gas Sales – Total (M m3)
City Gas Sales by Sector (M m3)
SOURCES: the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI),
Ministry of Finance
Japan Total Power Demand (GWh)
Current Vs Historical Demand (GWh)
Day-Ahead Spot Electricity Prices
Day-Ahead Vs Day Time Vs Peak Time
LNG Imports by Electricity Utilities
LNG Stockpiles of Electricity Utilities
SOURCES: the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI), and the Japan Electric Power Exchang
JAPAN NRG WEEKLY NOVEMBER 24, 2020 JAPAN NRG WEEKLY November 24, 2020 NEWS TOP Japan releases FY2019 energy consumption numbers (prelim.); CO2 from the energy sector is down, so is…