Comprehensive energy futures market planned   The Ministry of
Economy, Trade and Industry plans to create a comprehensive
futures market for energy products at the Tokyo Commodity
Exchange in 2014, sources said.  The market will list energy
products such as liquefied natural gas, coal, fuel oil and
liquefied petroleum gas on the TOCOM, which currently trades
gasoline and other petroleum products futures as well as Middle
Eastern crude oil futures.  The ministry is also considering
listing electricity futures on the exchange if transmission
operations are separated from power utilities, the sources said.
Formation of fair prices of commodities like crude oil and LNG
in the futures market will help Japanese power utilities
purchase energy sources for thermal power generation at lower
costs, thus making it easier for them to cover electricity
shortages caused by the suspension of nuclear reactors.  Japan’s
LNG consumption jumped 11.6 percent year on year in 2011 to make
up for the nuclear shortfall. The world’s