According to the United States Energy Information Administration (EIA), imports of LNG in the Japanese electricity sector are predicted to drop by 10% in 2019 following the restart in 2018 of five nuclear reactors that were previously shut down after the 2011 Fukushima accident. These five reactors have a combined capacity of 4.6 GW and are namely: Genkai-3 (1,127 MW net), Genkai-4 (1,127 MW net), Ohi-3 (1,127 MW net), Ohi-4 (1,127 MW net), and Ikata-3 (846 MW net). Their restart has begun to offset gas-fired power generation and, as a result, LNG imports declined when the nuclear reactors reached full operation.
Japan now has 9 nuclear reactors in operations with a combined capacity of 8.7 GW. 2019 will be the first full year of operation for the five reactors that restarted in 2018. The EIA estimates that they will displace domestic LNG imports by approximately 5 Mt, equivalent to close to 10% of Japan's 2018 power sector gas consumption and 6% of its LNG imports.
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