Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Nishimura requested that the Malaysian side quickly restore the gas leakage trouble in the pipeline of the LNG (liquefied natural gas) production facility in Malaysia so that the supply to Japan will not be affected. I made it clear that
Petronas, the state-owned energy company of Malaysia, a major LNG supplier for Japan, announced that a landslide that occurred late last month caused a gas leak in a pipeline at its production facility.
In response to this, a subsidiary of "Petronas" declared a "force majeure clause" that exempted it from the obligation to supply to the purchaser, raising concerns about the impact on the supply of LNG.
Regarding this, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Nishimura said at a press conference after the cabinet meeting on the 11th, "We are currently examining the damage situation and the impact on Japanese companies."
In addition, he said, "We are strongly requesting Petronas to minimize the impact through early restoration and securing alternative supplies to Japan.We will continue to hold close discussions with the Malaysian government and others to ensure a stable supply of LNG. I would like to take all possible measures to prevent this from happening,” he said, adding that he is requesting the Malaysian side to ensure that supply will not be affected, as demand for LNG will increase as winter approaches.