TOKYO -- The coronavirus outbreak has raised a new risk for Japan -- a potential cutoff of the crucial liquified natural gas supply that would plunge large portions of the country into darkness.
Because LNG is poorly suited for long-term storage, Japan only has a two-week stockpile. Yet, the country depends on the fuel for 40% of its electric power generation needs, and all of the LNG it uses is imported from the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
