日本和蘇聯合作發展天自然氣生產

Recently the Mainichi News on-line reported the following:

ロシア極東の天然ガス関連プロジェクトへの日本企業の参入が活発化している。

今年のアジア太平洋経済協力会議（ＡＰＥＣ）閣僚会議と首脳会議の開催地となったウラジオストクでは、ロシア産液化天然ガス（ＬＮＧ）の生産基地を伊藤忠商事などがロシア国営ガスプロムと共同で建設する計画が進む。川崎重工はウラジオストクに初めてガスタービン発電設備を納入し、ロシア極東でのコージェネレーションシステムの商機を探る。ロシア側も極東開発を推進し経済成長の拡大につなげたい考えで、日露協力の発展が期待されている。

　ウラジオストクでのＬＮＧ基地建設プロジェクトは、１８〜２０年ごろから年間１０００万トンの生産開始を目指すのが柱。日本などへの輸出を計画しており、福島第１原発事故を受けて脱原発依存を進める日本にとっては、エネルギーの安定確保の面からも期待が高い。８日にウラジオストクで行われる日露首脳会談で、ガスプロムが年内に投資の適正さを判断し、計画を進める内容の覚書を交わす予定だ。

(試譯文)

Japanese companies’ entry into the natural gas related projects in Far East Russia was being activated.

In Vladivostok which was used as the venue of this year’s Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Cabinet meeting and the summit meeting, the plan for Itochu Corporation etc. to collaborate with Russia national Gazprom to build the liquefied natural gas (LNG) production base was in progress. For the first time the Kawasaki Heavy Industry supplied Vladivostok with gas-turbine-power-generation equipment, and explored the business opportunity for the cogeneration system in Russian Far East. With expanding the economic growth in mind, the Russia side also wanted to promote the Far East development; development in Japan-Russia cooperation was expected.

Regarding the LNG base construction project in Vladivostok, the aim of having a 10 million-ton production per year starting from around 2018 to 2020 year was the pillar. There were plans to export it to Japan etc. Japan, in response to the First Nuclear Power plant disaster at Fukushima, was fading out its dependence on nuclear power; the expectation was also high in aspects of ensuring the stability of energy. In the Japan-Russia summit meeting held in Vladivostok on the 8th, making investment to Gazprom before the year end was judged to be a good assessment; a decision was made to exchange memos with contents showing the carrying out future plans.

It seems that economic needs have tied the two countries together. In politics, co-operation is always better than confrontation.