Mitsui aims to sell 5 mtpa Mozambique LNG to Japan

TOKYO Nov 29 (Reuters) - Trading house Mitsui & Co said on Tuesday it aims to sell at least 5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from a major project in offshore Mozambique to the world's top consumer Japan.

The two planned 5 million tonne per annum LNG production plants, known as "trains", are expected to start operations as early as 2018. Mitsui has a 20 percent stake in the project.

Following the radiation crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi plant northeast of Tokyo, resulting in a drop in use of nuclear power, Japan's LNG imports have risen at a record pace as utilities ramp up gas-fired power generation.

Over 80 percent of Japan's nuclear plant capacity is now off-line as public safety concerns have delayed restarts of reactors shut for routine maintenance.

U.S. oil company Anadarko Petroleum Corp said on Monday its major gas finds offshore Mozambique were around twice as large as it earlier thought, adding support to hopes that East Africa will become another major gas production centre.