Tokyo Gas diverts LNG to quake-hit TEPCO

Tokyo Gas Co , Japan's biggest city gas supplier, said on Monday it has diverted an unspecified volume of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Tokyo Electric Power Co to make up for the lost output from two nuclear plants after a massive quake on March 11. A Tokyo Gas spokesman said TEPCO had requested that the two firms swap the timings of LNG deliveries.
"As an emergency measure, we have been diverting some of the LNG we were scheduled to receive," he said, adding it would consider supplying more LNG to TEPCO if it received further requests. Several firms including Kansai Electric , Chugoku Electric , Osaka Gas and Chubu Electric Power have decided to divert their LNG cargoes to TEPCO.
Although TEPCO may have spare fuel supplies now as some of its thermal plants remain shut following the quake, it has said it will need more fuel, mainly LNG, for the summer to maximise thermal power production. The magnitude 9.0 quake on March 11 forced the closure of a total of 14,903 MW of TEPCO's nuclear and thermal capacity, or 23 percent of the company's total power sources including hydro plants.