俄國撤回在極東液化天然氣工場建設計畫

A few weeks ago the NHK News on-line reported the following:

極東でのＬＮＧ工場建設計画 撤回も

10月14日 21時54分

ロシアの政府系ガス会社の社長は、日本も参加して検討されている極東でのＬＮＧ＝液化天然ガスの工場の建設計画を撤回する可能性を明らかにし、日ロのエネルギー協力に影響が出る事態も予想されます。

ロシアの政府系企業「ガスプロム」は、極東のウラジオストク郊外に日本企業も参加してＬＮＧの生産プラントを建設し、日本などアジア太平洋諸国にサハリンや東シベリアで産出されたガスを輸出する計画を立てています。
これについて、１３日のロシアのメディアによりますと、ガスプロムのミレル社長が「ウラジオストクの計画をやめて、産出ガスをそのままパイプラインで中国に輸出することを検討している」と述べ、計画を撤回する可能性を明らかにしたということです。
ロシアと中国は、ことし５月に、東シベリアで産出される天然ガスを３０年にわたって中国に輸出することで合意し、そのためのパイプラインの建設も始まっています。ミレル社長の発言は、中国とのエネルギー協力が進むなか、東シベリアの天然ガスを中国に優先的に輸出する考えを示したもので、仮にウラジオストクでの計画が撤回されれば日ロのエネルギー協力に影響が出る事態も予想されます。

(試譯文)

It was made clear by a president of the gas company inside the Russian government system that there was a possibility for them to withdraw considering a project to construct a factory of LNG= liquefied natural gas in the Far East which could be participated by Japan; it was expected that the situation could affect energy cooperation between Japan and Russia.

The Russian government system’s enterprise "Gazprom" so far had made a plan which the Japanese companies could also participate: constructing a LNG production plant in a suburb in Far Eastern Vladivostok, and from there gas produced would be exported to Japan and various Asia Pacific Ocean countries, the Sakhalin and East Siberia.

About this on the 13th (October) according to a Russian media it was said that President Miller of Gazprom had stated that "it is considering to stop the plan in Vladivostok, and to export gas generated there directly to China by pipelines", making clear a possibility of withdrawing the plan.

In May of this year Russia and China agreed that the natural gas produced in East Siberia would be exported to China for 30 years, and pipelines constructions for it had also started. President Miller's remarks indicated the idea that as natural gas energy cooperation with China was further developed, the natural gas in East Siberia would be exported to China with priority. If the plan at Vladivostok was withdrawn, it was also expected that for the moment the situation regarding energy cooperation between Japan and Russia would be affected.

It seems that because of the tense relations between Russia and the western countries, as far as Russia’s natural gas exportation is concerned, in the East it is China that has benefited from the situation while in the west, it is Turkey.