Japan’s gas power and lessons for the Philippines

NAGOYA, Japan — I am in Japan’s fourth largest city by population size. Our route was Manila-Narita-Nagoya and our domestic flight from Narita took off in the evening and I saw from the plane how bright Japan is at night, especially Tokyo — so wide, so bright, so modern.

Japan’s total power generation in 2024 was 1,016 terawatt-hours (TWh), 7.8 times more than the Philippines’ 130 TWh. Of that 1,016 TWh, natural gas contributed 31.3%, coal 29.6%, nuclear 8.4%, hydro 7.8%, other renewables (solar, wind, biomass) 15%, and oil and others contribute 8%.

Japan is fifth in the world when it comes to gas power generation with 318 TWh, after the US, Russia, Iran, and China. But when it comes to gas Reserves/Production (R/P) ratio, among the largest are Iran with 128 years of R/P, Saudi Arabia with 54 years, and Russia with 59 years (see the table).

The largest electricity company in Japan is JERA Co., Inc., contributing one-third of total power generation. They own the largest gas plants in Japan, and they are one of the largest LNG buyers in the world. Meaning JERA supplies the energy for those bright lights in Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, etc.

The most gas-dependent countries in the world when it comes to power generation would be Qatar and Singapore with 95% to 99% gas contribution to total. Gas used to power 100% of the United Arab Emirates’ energy needs, but since they built many nuclear power plants, the share of nuclear power in 2024 was 23% of the total.

For purposes of brevity, I did not include the following countries that also have high gas R/P ratios as of 2020 (the latest available data): Venezuela has 334 years, Iraq 337 years, Turkmenistan 231 years, Qatar 144 years, Kuwait 113 years, Nigeria 111 years, Libya 107 years, and Syria 90 years.

In contrast, the gas R/P ratio of the US is only 14 years, that of the UK only five years, and Germany’s is four years. I think this partly (or largely) explains why the US has embarked on invasions and/or regime change projects (mostly failures) in Venezuela, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, and other oil-gas rich countries.

The Philippines gets only 18 TWh of energy from the Malampaya gas field plus imported LNG. That is equivalent to only seven weeks of gas generation in Thailand, five weeks in South Korea, three weeks in Japan or China, and only three days in the US. I hope that the Philippines’ energy companies with coal and gas plants — AboitizPower, Meralco Power Gen (MGEN), and San Miguel Global Power — will continue their LNG partnership in Batangas and further expand the Philippines’ gas capacity.

Finally, I take a look at the recently concluded UN COP-30 climate conference in Brazil. The climate activists there persisted in lobbying for a “transition away from fossil fuels,” referring to oil, gas, and coal. They are pushing for a world of degrowth, deindustrialization, and backwardness.

The climate activists, UN and multilaterals officials persistently attack fossil fuels then frequently jet set to many countries and continents on fossil fuels. They lambast hydrocarbons, then use lots of hydrocarbon/petrochem products like paint on their bicycles and houses, nylon for their bicycle jerseys and shorts, asphalt for the roads their bicycles and cars traverse.

Higher global food production will require higher use of fertilizers like ammonia, urea, and NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium). Hydrocarbons are the raw materials for these fertilizers and related products. Needless to say, more hydrocarbons mean more food production, resulting in less hunger in the world.

The Philippines will need more hydrocarbons and fossil fuels, not less. We need more bright lights at night as dark streets mean more crime and more road accidents. We need more electricity, regardless of sources, double the 130 TWh that we have now in 10-15 years. Then we can energize more manufacturing companies, more houses, offices, and schools. Then we can aim for more economic prosperity.

Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr. is the president of Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr. Research Consultancy Services, and Minimal Government Thinkers. He is an international fellow of the Tholos Foundation.

minimalgovernment@gmail.com