ICIS: Russia may play important part in Japan’s energy: IEE

Gas-rich Russia may play an important role in Japan’s efforts to ensure energy security, possibly through a direct gas pipeline between the two countries, an official from The Institute of Energy Economics (IEE) of Japan said on Monday.

“We think Russia as an important player. Russia has recently decided to sell gas to China - this is not bad for Japan. It is a good thing,” IEE Japan global associate Nobuo Tanaka, who was a former executive director of International Energy Agency (IEA), told ICIS in an interview at the sidelines of the Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW).

“Russia will deploy the pipeline to China that pipeline could be extended to the Pacific Coast - that gives opportunity for Japan to get gas … or even directly connecting Japan and Russia,” he said.

With all its nuclear reactors currently shut in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear crisis in March 2011, Japan has an urgent need to diversify its energy mix.
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