The Japan News: Tokyo Gas Plans First Offshore Gas Pipeline

Tokyo Gas Co. intends to build the nation’s first offshore gas pipeline, an undersea route connecting Hitachi, Ibaraki Prefecture, and an oceanfront industrial complex in and around Kashima in the prefecture, according to sources.

The targeted completion date is about 2020. By diversifying gas transportation routes, the company hopes to build a stable supply system that is equipped to deal with large-scale disasters, the sources said.

Tokyo Gas owns three liquefied natural gas supply bases in an area facing Tokyo Bay. The company is now building a new LNG base in Hitachi to ensure a stable gas supply even in the event of a disaster in central Tokyo.

The planned route will likely extend about 80 kilometers, and will connect the new base in Hitachi and the Kashima industrial complex. The envisaged pipelines will normally be used to supply gas from Hitachi to the industrial complex. MORE