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Canada’s Alberta province minister of environment and protected areas, Rebecca Schulz, is looking to find a new LNG export market in Japan as the US threatens to increase tariffs.
Rebecca pointed out that they are exploring already existing relationship as key area of focus.
She has been meeting officials, business lobbies and company representatives, including from JERA, Japan’s top LNG buyer, JOGMEC, Japan Gas Association, chaired by a Tokyo Gas (9531.T), executive, and others, over the past week.
Schulz said Energy security is a hugely important focus for many countries, including Japan and Canada as well. “A lot of the conversations were about the balance of meeting energy demand.”
While LNG demand in Japan overall is falling, its needs could increase if its renewable energy roll-out is too slow, a senior industry ministry official said.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba are will meet on Friday and are expected to discuss a huge proposed Alaska LNG project, among other topics, sources said, as competition for major LNG buyers is rising.
U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan on Wednesday urged Japan and other U.S. allies in Asia to back the Alaska LNG project, warning that if they were not interested in buying the gas, strategic rival China would be.
Canada is preparing to start exports to Japan later this year from the LNG Canada project where Mitsubishi is a shareholder, but the country is looking to add more export facilities.
Asked about Alberta’s competitive advantages versus the U.S., Schulz pointed that Alberta’s is at a competitive advantage to the US as it has a shorter shipping time compared to the U.S. Gulf Coast, adding it has less geopolitical risk among other factors.
Minister of environment and protected areas added that they see huge amount of opportunity in expanding on their partnerships with Japan.
