In an interview with Nishinippon Shimbun, president of Saibu Gas, Yoshio Sakemi, revealed plans to lower gas rates once the Hibiki Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) Terminal in northern Kyushu goes online next November. He explained that once the new facility is open, it will be able to accommodate gas tankers 10 times the size of the current ones, allowing for “across the board cost reductions”. When asked about importing shale gas from the U.S., he said that “there are currently allowances for LNG procurement”, but indicated the company would consider joint procurement with other companies once its existing contracts had expired. He also said the company’s sales efforts—once dampened by the popularity of all-electric houses—have boosted the percentage of new houses using gas to between 30% and 50% of levels before the Great East Japan Earthquake “We would like to increase that to more than 50% as soon as possible,” remarked Sakemi. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun, May 28
