Today, under the applicable statutory exchange program with a private-sector LPG base located in Oita Prefecture, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has decided to release stockpiled LPG from a neighboring stockpiling base to a private-sector base located in Ibaraki Prefecture that has been rendered incapable of receiving LPG shipments as a result of the Tohoku-Pacific Ocean Earthquake.

1. Four out of the seven locally located LPG supply bases are incapable of shipping LPG due to the earthquake, which is causing supply shortages in the region. To make up for the shortages primary LPG distributors are currently supplying the region with LPG also from Niigata Prefecture and the Kanto region.
2. A private-sector base established in Ibaraki Prefecture has been rendered incapable of receiving LPG shipments because of the earthquake and we are worried that the base will not be able to continue supplying LPG in the near future.
3. In these circumstances we have decided to make use of the LPG stockpiled in the national stockpiling bases to ensure the Tohoku region will have an adequate LPG supply. So today we have decided to release some 40,000 tons of LPG from a national stockpiling base for delivery to the said private-sector base. (Stockpiled LPG will begin to be released on April 4.)
4. The reduced amount of the LPG stockpile will be recovered by transferring the ownership of the same amount of LPG stockpiled at another private-sector base located in Oita Prefecture.

• Reference information (PDF:22KB)
• Presentation of Utilization of national petroleum gas (L.P. gas) stockpiles (PDF:252KB) updated on April 4

March 31, 2011

Petroleum Distribution and Retail Division, Agency for Natural Resources and Energy