Nippon Oil to build LNG import base in Aomori Prefecture

TOKYO December 27, 2009; Japan Today reported that Nippon Oil Corp will build an import base for liquefied natural gas in Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, with construction expected to begin by the end of 2010, company officials said Saturday. The base, which will be large enough for an LNG tanker to dock, will serve as a major supply base for LNG users in the Tohoku northeastern Japanese district, they said.

Since LNG emits less carbon dioxide than oil when burned, demand for the natural resource is increasing among factory operators and other users. Nippon Oil has already been operating a small LNG tank with a capacity of 4,500 kiloliters in Hachinohe. The envisioned base will have a much larger storage capacity, the officials said.