Japan consumed a record amount of liquefied natural gas during the last fiscal year.



The Federation of Electric Power Companies said LNG consumption rose in fiscal 2012 to make up for the energy-resource shortages after the March 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.



The group said the operation rate at nuclear plants across the country was only 3.9 percent during fiscal 2012. The rate for the year was the lowest since Japan's first nuclear plant began operation in 1966.



Japanese utilities suspended operations at all nuclear plants after the Fukushima accident except for one in Fukui Prefecture.



The consumption rate for other energy resources has jumped as utilities are relying more on thermal power generation. They used 56 million tons of liquefied natural gas and 30 million kiloliters of heavy and crude oil during fiscal 2012.



The figures were 2.6 times what they were in 2010, the year before the Fukushima accident.



Japan's reliance on thermal power generation is likely to lead to higher electric bills. The consumption of fossil fuel will also increase emissions of greenhouse gases that will worsen global warming, leading to the need for more environmental protection measures.

Apr. 14, 2013 - Updated 15:48 UTC

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South Korea, the world’s second- largest buyer of liquefied natural gas, increased imports of the fuel by 19 percent in March.

Shipments climbed to 4.17 million metric tons from 3.49 million a year earlier, according to data on the Korea Customs Service’s website. The monthly volume rose from 4.09 million tons in February.

The total cost of the March purchases increased to $3.3 billion from $2.46 billion in the same month a year earlier, the data showed today. The average price paid rose to $789.68 a ton from $705.69 a year ago, according to the figures.

South Korea buys most of its LNG under multi-year contracts from suppliers including Qatar, Indonesia and Oman. Last month’s purchases included a spot shipment of 100,797 tons fromTrinidad & Tobago at $675 a ton, the data show.

State-run Korea Gas Corp. (036460), the world’s biggest LNG buyer, said April 11 that its March domestic sales of gas fell 3.5 percent to 3.55 million tons from a year earlier. Demand from electricity producers slipped 4.4 percent, while that from local city gas providers dropped 2.8 percent.

South Korea purchased thee LNG spot cargoes from Peru and Algeria in March, according to contract and ship-tracking data.