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Japan energy cautions of changing financial investment from Australia unless it gets govt assistance

Japan's leading power generator JERA cautioned on Thursday it might think about fuel purchases and financial investments in Asia, the Middle East and the United States if Australia does not provide adequate financial support.

Australia now represents about 40% of all energy imports by Japan, which has actually doubled down on financial investments there after a. fallout with key provider Russia over the Ukraine war.

JERA, an unlisted business collectively owned by Tokyo Electric. Power and Chubu Electric Power, accepted purchase. a stake of 15.1% in Woodside Energy's Scarborough. project, as it races to secure long-lasting LNG supplies.

Nevertheless, federal financial support for carbon capture and. storage (CCS) is very small and frustrating, Gaku Takagi,. the company's chief executive in Australia, said on Thursday.

It was very challenging to produce rate competitive LNG. without state assistance for CCS, he added.

JERA is now buying 5 Australian LNG jobs, and. some tasks need CCS, Takagi informed the Australian Energy. Producers Conference.

With the greatest per capita emissions of any significant economy. outside the Middle East, Australian has faced criticism from. environmentalists for its dedication to gas drilling to. fulfill need from key partners including Japan, despite a promise. to quicken decarbonisation.

If Australia provides inexpensive CCS tasks, JERA will be. pleased to do such CCS, he stated, including that if that did not. happen, other nations, such as Malaysia and Indonesia, could. prove competitive.

Takagi included that the federal government's absence of financial backing. for production of hydrogen and ammonia, and favourable U.S. policies, such as the Inflation Reduction Act, take some of the. shine off Australia as a destination for financial investment from Japan.

JERA, one of Japan's biggest polluters, prepares to phase out. inefficient coal-fired power plants by financial 2030 and transform. all other coal-fired power generation to ammonia by the 2040s to. get rid of coal entirely.

If the Australian government will not give much more. financial support to hydrogen and ammonia in Australia, we require. to buy hydrogen and ammonia from other locations, such as the. United States and the Middle East, he said.

Last week JERA unveiled plans to invest 5 trillion yen ($ 32. billion) by 2035 to maintain current yearly LNG procurement of. more than 35 million lots, and improve annual purchases of. hydrogen and ammonia to 7 million loads, from none now.

The energy also plans to use the funds to increase its. renewable resource capability to 20 gigawatts (GW), from 5 GW now.

As an LNG buyer, between Japan and Australia, this. partnership we produced is very stable, Takagi stated.

But if the Australian government does not support the LNG. market in Australia, and the LNG price is higher than. expected, we require to alter the energy source to other. countries..

(source: Reuters)