Japan over the past year has significantly reduced its dependence on Russian coal, the Nikkei newspaper writes. Energy companies are looking for alternative suppliers in countries such as Indonesia and South Africa.
According to the publication, in fiscal year 2021 (lasted from April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022), Russia ranked second in terms of coal supplies to Japan after Australia.
From April 2022 to February 2023, Japan imported about 6.5 million tons of coal from Russia, which is 45% less than in the previous year. In February 2023, according to the Ministry of Energy, imports amounted to 230 thousand tons, which is 73% less than in the same period last year. Russian coal accounted for 2% of total imports compared to 9% the year before.
At the same time, in 2022, coal supplies from Indonesia increased by 28%, from Canada – twice, and from South Africa – about six times.
Japan decided to reduce its dependence on Russian coal in April 2022, two months after the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine. Energy companies have played an important role in these efforts, the newspaper notes. Thus, the energy group JERA stopped purchases in the summer of 2022 (Russia accounted for about 10% of its annual coal imports). J-Power and Tohoku Electric Power are switching to alternative sources.
Source: Rosbalt
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
