Japanese consortium to study carbon capture and storage in Japan

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) will lead a feasibility study on carbon capture, liquefaction, ship transportation and onshore storage of liquefied CO2 in an upcoming Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project.

PHOTO: Aerial view of Taiheiyo Cement's Fujiwara Plant. Taiheiyo Cement

Seven Japanese companies, including multinational engineering giant MHI, will form a cross-sectoral consortium to identify methods of capturing, transporting and storing carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted from hard-to-abate industries in Japan.

Apart from MHI, the consortium includes multinational ITOCHU Corporation and its subsidiary ITOCHU Oil Exploration, major steelmaker Nippon Steel, cement manufacturer Taiheiyo Cement, oil giant INPEX and civil engineering company Taisei.

MHI will examine ways to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from Nippon and Taiheiyo Cement's steel and cement manufacturing plants and to ship the captured CO2 to underground storage sites in liquefied form.

MHI will design vessels capable of transporting liquefied CO2 by 2026 and begin CO2 storage operations by 2030. INPEX and Taisei will investigate the feasibility of injecting CO2 underground and developing storage facilities at ports.

CCS technology is increasingly gaining popularity in the maritime sector because it captures and stores CO2 emissions from ships, allowing them to operate more efficiently and with lower emissions. Additionally, the captured CO2 can also be used as a feedstock for the production of renewable marine fuels like synthetic methanol.

Another Japanese alliance of Japan Petroleum Exploration (Japex), JGC Holdings Corporation, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line) and JFE Steel Corporation is exploring the feasibility of setting up a Japan-Malaysia CCS supply chain.

By Konica Bhatt

Please get in touch with comments or additional info to news@engine.online