Japan on gas, coal power building spree to fill nuclear void [View all]

[GliderGuider]

Japan on gas, coal power building spree to fill nuclear void

(Reuters) - Japan plans to start up 14 new gas and coal-fired power plants by the end of 2014, allowing a switch away from pricey oil, as Tokyo struggles with a shutdown of nuclear reactors and energy imports drive a record trade deficit.

Regional power monopolies will construct 12 gas-fired units next year, while two new coal power plants will be completed by December 2013, according to a Reuters survey of utilities.

The new power plants will buy liquefied natural gas (LNG) and coal to scale back on the use of expensive crude and fuel oil plants. They will also give Japan a bigger buffer to prevent future power outages when generation plants go offline.

Japan's coal imports are set to hit another record over the next year, but the Petroleum Association of Japan (PAJ) has said oil use at power plants could fall 10 to 20 percent this winter from a year earlier.

So it goes.