Through its pipeline network covering about 1,400 kilometers, INPEX currently supplies only the natural gas produced in the Minami-Nagaoka gas field and the other gas fields in Japan, mainly to the city gas enterprises and commercial/industrial customers in the Tokyo metropolitan area and seven other prefectures spreading peripherally in the center of Honshu Island, Japan. Demand for natural gas is expected to grow steadily due to growing recognition of environmental issues and energy conservation.
Therefore, in order to obtain sufficient medium- to long-term supplying capacity of natural gas, INPEX will introduce LNG sourced natural gas from Shizuoka Gas Company from January 2010 and import LNG at its own Naoetsu LNG receiving terminal from 2014.
INPEX is considering a preferable option to import LNG produced from its overseas operator projects of Ichthys (Australia) and Abadi (Indonesia), both of which are in the stage of preparation works for development. The company will pursue establishing a stable gas supply chain that organically connects the domestic infrastructure with its overseas natural gas assets.
