Surpassed 20 Million units Si Sensor Cooking Stoves Si sensor cooking stoves are cooking stoves with safety sensors installed on all burners. Si is the combination of the three S's-S for Safety (standard models are equipped with an automatic shutoff function when oil for deep frying becomes too hot, when the user forgets to turn off the burner, and when the flame is put out because something boils over), S for Support (some models offer a rice-cooking function using the heat sensor and a function to keep oil at a constant temperature) and S for Smile (the functions that assist cooking make it more fun, and bring smiles to the family)-with "i" for intelligent. These stoves have thermistors at the center of their burners which cut off the gas when they detect abnormal temperature higher than 250 degrees Celsius. In addition, the function of automatically fine-tuning the thermal power and the flat surface which makes it easy to clean also support users' cooking.

Gas cooking stoves introduced since April 2008 are all equipped with sensors under the voluntary regulations of the city gas industry. Then from October 2008, equipping all gas cooking stove burners with Si sensors was mandated by law. The cumulative number of gas cooking stoves with Si sensors sold since April 2008 surpassed 20 million units in September 2013. This indicates that these stoves have now spread to a ratio of one in every three households. The number of fires caused by gas cooking stoves is declining year by year. In 2012 there were 3,500 fires, including minor incidents. That figure has decreased approximately 30% after Si sensor cooking stoves were first introduced. Because these fires are often caused by users forgetting to turn off burners, the number of such fires is expected to decline further as more homes are equipped with Si sensor cooking stoves. The spread of safe, secure, easy-to-use gas cooking stoves also enhances consumers' perception towards gas. JGA will continue working to promote the broader use of Si sensor cooking stoves for more safety.

International Gas Union (IGU) Program Committee (PGC) F meeting held A meeting of the International Gas Union (IGU) Program Committee (PGC) F (Chair: Jack Lewnard) was held in Tokyo on October 8 and 9, hosted by Tokyo Gas. The PGC, which is one of the committees of IGU, conducts investigations and research in line with themes set by the Coordination Committee, and reports its findings at the World Gas Conference held once every three years. There are six PGCs from A to F, and PGC F conducts investigations and research on natural gas technology development and innovation. At the Tokyo meeting, 23 participants shared information and collaborated among units at IGU member organizations conducting research and development concerning the gas industry, and discussed the fusion of natural gas, electricity and renewable energy, as well as the contents, speakers, contents of the Call for Papers, and how to proceed with the Plenary Session of the next International Gas Union Research Conference (IGRC), which is being administered by PGC F. Members of PGC F The IGRC is an international conference held once every three years with the IGU serving as a secretariat. The purpose of the conference is to present research and development in technology fields in all aspects of the gas industry including domestic and commercial gas utilization, industrial gas utilization, gas production, gas transmission and distribution, and crosscutting topics, energy systems, etc. The next IGRC is scheduled to take place in Copenhagen in September 2014. >>> IGRC2014

The 13th Gas Information Exchange in the Western Pacific Area (GASEX) The Gas Information Exchange in the Western Pacific Area (GASEX) is an international conference for the 15 Western Pacific countries as members and has been held once every two years to encourage the sound development of the gas industry through information exchanges and discussions among members. The next GASEX will be held in Hong Kong in 2014 with the theme of "Advancing the Gas Value Chain". >>> GASEX2014

Operation Results of City Gas Cogeneration Systems for FY2012 (Total Installed Capacity) The Japan Gas Association has compiled a report on the operational results of city gas cogeneration systems for FY2012 based on a survey of 209 city gas utilities nationwide. The total installed capacity of cogeneration systems (excluding steam turbines) using city gas as of the end of FY2012 (end of March 2013) was 4,819 MW, a 284MW (6.3%) increase from FY2011. The total installed base was 156,558 units, up 25,278 systems (19.3%). Of these, the total installed base for commercial and industrial use was 6,656 units, up 398 units (6.4%) from FY2011, and 149,902 units for residential use (gas engine and fuel cell systems), up 24,880 units (19.9%). The JGA and Japan's city gas industry will continue to promote city gas cogeneration systems, which are a distributed energy system with outstanding environmental and energy properties. ∗1 GE: Gas Engine, GT: Gas Turbine, FC: Fuel Cell ∗2 Numbers are rounded off to the nearest whole number, and may not match. ∗3 Source: Hand book of electric power industry (2012 editions)

City Gas Sales in the First Half of FY 2013 (April to September) Total gas sales by general gas utilities (209 companies nationwide) in the first half of FY2013 totaled 16,709 million m3 (41.8605 MJ/m3 equivalent), a 0.5% increase from the same period a year before. By sector: - Gas sales in the residential sector declined by 5.0% from the first half of the previous fiscal year to 3,531 million m3, reflecting warmer temperatures nationwide in the first half which drove down demand for gas for water heating. - Gas sales in the commercial sector totaled 2,221 million m3, a decrease of 0.5% from the first half of the previous fiscal year. While the higher temperature from June to August drove up demands for air conditioning, demands for water heating decreased. - Gas sales in the industrial sector rose by 2.8% from the previous year to 9,528 million m3 due primarily to developing new demands. - Gas sales in the other sectors (hospitals, public facilities, etc.) rose by 1.9% from the previous year to 1,427 million m3, reflecting a warmer temperatures dulling June to August which drove up gas demand for air conditioning. By region: - Regional gas sales grew or fell by following percentages from the first half of the previous fiscal year: +4.5% in Hokkaido, +0.9% in Tohoku, +1.4% in Kanto-Koshinetsu, -0.3% in Chubu-Hokuriku, -1.0% in Kinki, -0.5% in Chugoku, +1.1% in Shikoku, and +1.6% in Kyushu-Okinawa. Announcements ◇We have uploaded the 2013 edition of Gas Facts in Japan: >>> Gas Facts in Japan 2013

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