TOKYO: Japanese power utility Jera Co. has signed a contract to continue to buy liquefied natural gas from the Sakhalin-2 oil and gas development project in the Russian Far East.

Jera, a joint venture between Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. and Chubu Electric Power Co., signed the contract on Thursday with the new Russian operator of the Sakhalin-2 project.

The terms of the new contract, such as the purchasing price and volume, was unchanged from the one with the previous Sakhalin-2 operator.

Jera had a long-term contract with the previous operator to annually procure 2 million tons of LNG, and has been using it for thermal power generation.

Among other Japanese power and gas utilities, seven including Kyushu Electric Power Co, Tokyo Gas Co. and Hiroshima Gas Co. have been procuring LNG from Sakhalin-2.

Since Russia launched the new Sakhalin-2 operator on Aug. 5, the Japanese utilities have received a notice asking them to sign a fresh purchasing contract.

JIJI Press