I am not a native speaker of English, so please take this correction with a grain of salt. It would be best if a native speaker also corrected it.

News Paper Article

This is a very long entry...I tried to translate some Japanese news article to English.
Maybe, some or most.. sentences may sound unnatural or not understandable. Any suggestions, corrections, comments will be appreciated.

I am very sorry, but if you have some time, I would very much appreciate your help.

Japan's electricity price for enterprises surges 2.5 times higher than US's

The price is 25 percent higher than that before the Tohoku Earthquake.

Japan's electricity price seems to be higher compared to other
countries. The price in 2013 has risen 25 percent of the last 10 years before the Tohoku Earthquake, which has resulted [in prices] 2.5 times higher than the average price of the US. Although the price surge due to the shutdown of the nuclear power plants is the main cause, the high-cost structure of electric companies has also a great effect as well.

The electric price was announced by the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry after they calculated each country's data released by the International Energy Agency.

The last year's corporate electricity price in Japan was 17 yen/kilowatt, 25 percent higher compared to three years ago. For households, the price has risen 16 percent and reached as much as 23.63 yen/kilowatt. For corporations charge, the price has been set lower due to the smaller cost in equipment including a voltage conversion.

Taking a look at the corporate electric prices in 2013 compared to global standards, the price is 2.5 times higher than the US's 6.64 yen. The difference is about 10.36 yen, which is 50 percent bigger than that of 3 years ago. In the US, the production of shale gus(?) has started and keeps the price low.

The fuel costs which contribute to the electric prices vary depending on the locales location. According to the IEA, Japan had bought natural gas at a great cost during July to September in 2013, as much as 4.5 times more expensive than the amount the US had spent. Electric companies have been purchasing LNG by a long-period contract with natural gas producers, which attributes to the a higher price.

The maintenance of power plants and electric feeder lines seems more expensive. According to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, The cost is 7 times higher than that of the States of California, 3 times of the Republic of the South Korea. Some officials say, "having constructing many institutions exclusively in the designated locales locations has probably generated too much cost."


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