Japanese Power Utilities Import 39% More Liquefied Natural Gas in January

[phantom power]

Japan’s 10 regional power utilities increased their imports of liquefied natural gas by 39 percent in January, when most of the country’s nuclear reactors remained idled over safety concerns.

Power companies imported 5.19 million metric tons of LNG last month, up from 3.73 million tons a year earlier, according to data today from the Federation of Electric Power Cos.

Oil imports almost tripled to 1.34 million kiloliters (8.4 million barrels), while fuel-oil purchases increased nearly threefold to 1.51 million kiloliters, according to the data.

The average operating rate of nuclear plants in January was 10 percent, down from 66 percent last year, it said. Thermal- power generation rose 29 percent from a year earlier.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-13/japanese-power-utilities-lng-imports-rise-to-5-2-million-tons-in-january.html

[Yo_Mama]

1. Power output is still dropping, also

But this was inevitable.