more than doubling from FY 2010. By this soaring LNG import, the balance of
payment turned to negative in fiscal year 2011 for the first time since 1980 [4].
Meanwhile, coal holds an important advantage of being economically competitive cost, although it has an environmental disadvantage of its higher intensity of
CO 2 emissions. Thus, coal-fired plant plays an important role for an economical
power supply as base load power generator. As nuclear power plants in Japan
remain shut down since the Fukushima nuclear accident, Japanese utility companies
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
tri l lion yen (nominal)
milion ton
LNG i mport
payment
(leŌ axis)
LNG i mport (ri ght axis)
Fukushima
Fig. 3 Annual payment for LNG import in Japan [4, 5]
Fig. 4 Monthly LNG import by country in Japan [5]
Considering Nuclear Accident …
101
payment turned to negative in fiscal year 2011 for the first time since 1980 [4].
Meanwhile, coal holds an important advantage of being economically competitive cost, although it has an environmental disadvantage of its higher intensity of
CO 2 emissions. Thus, coal-fired plant plays an important role for an economical
power supply as base load power generator. As nuclear power plants in Japan
remain shut down since the Fukushima nuclear accident, Japanese utility companies
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
tri l lion yen (nominal)
milion ton
LNG i mport
payment
(leŌ axis)
LNG i mport (ri ght axis)
Fukushima
Fig. 3 Annual payment for LNG import in Japan [4, 5]
Fig. 4 Monthly LNG import by country in Japan [5]
Considering Nuclear Accident …
101