Япония пока выбирает голубой аммиак из-за дороговизны зеленого
Совместное сжигание разных видов топлива создаст значительный спрос на аммиак в Японии, причем пока участники рынка отдают предпочтение голубому, а не зеленому аммиаку, рассказывает Мотоко Хасэгава.
Роль аммиака как топлива в электроэнергетическом секторе Японии становится все более важной по мере реализации стратегии сокращения выбросов вредных веществ и широкого внедрения низкоуглеродной электрификации в различных отраслях промышленности. Однако из-за высокой стоимости аммиака, полученного из зеленого водорода, страна пока собирается использовать преимущественно голубой аммиак, снижая выбросы за счет систем улавливания углерода.
Государственный институт исследований и разработок Nedo недавно направил 59,8 млрд иен ($522 млн) из фонда финансирования зеленых инноваций (2 трлн иен) в форме субсидий для создания технологий, которые позволят увеличить объемы совместного сжигания аммиака на электростанциях, создать генерирующие мощности, которые используют преимущественно аммиак, а также снизить стоимость производства аммиака как топлива. Nedo финансирует пять проектов, общий объем инвестиций в которые оценивается в 81,2 млрд иен.
Основную часть субсидий, 27,9 млрд иен, получит компания Jera — крупнейший производитель электроэнергии в стране — совместно с партнерскими инжиниринговыми компаниями IHI и Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI). Jera планирует создать новые установки для своих угольных электростанций, которые позволят совместно сжигать как минимум 50% аммиака. Технология разрабатывается в рамках двух пилотных проектов с IHI и MHI.
Установка совместного сжигания для станции Jera в Хекинане создается совместно с IHI. Аммиак на данной площадке уже сжигается в тестовом режиме, а к 2024—2025 гг. его доля в общем объеме топлива должна будет составить 20%. Вместе с MHI Jera планирует создать установку для сжигания аммиака, совместимую с бойлерами, которые работают на угле, но площадка для демонстрации проекта еще не выбрана.
Jera собирается завершить реализацию обоих пилотных проектов, когда доля аммиака в общем объеме сжигаемого топлива должна быть доведена до 50%, к марту 2029 г. Сроки достаточно сжатые, тогда как стратегия правительства Японии предполагает, что к 2030 г. электростанции, работающие на угле, будут совместно сжигать только 20% аммиака.
Если Jera со своими партнерами достигнут поставленной цели, спрос на аммиак в Японии может начать расти быстрее, чем прогнозирует правительство. Согласно текущей дорожной карте министерства экономики, торговли и промышленности страны (Meti), совокупное потребление аммиака для сжигания в Японии к 2030 г. составит 3 млн т/год, а к 2050 г. — 30 млн т/год. По оценкам ведомства, при доле совместного сжигания на уровне 20% для угольной электростанции мощностью 1 ГВт потребуется около 500 тыс. т/год аммиака.
Jera собирается отдавать предпочтение голубому аммиаку, учитывая его стоимость, хотя в то же время продолжает создавать возможности для рентабельного применения зеленого аммиака. Компания делает акцент на сокращении издержек при поставках горючего и на обеспечении бесперебойного снабжения станций как важных факторах при переходе к более экологически чистой энергетике.
Участники отрасли считают, что приоритетом является создание спроса, даже если при этом придется временно перейти на серый водород или аммиак, использование которых не способствует уменьшению вредных выбросов.
Сокращение издержек
Японии будет непросто уменьшить расходы на аммиак, поэтому важную роль сыграет правительственная поддержка в форме финансирования, субсидий и принятия соответствующего законодательства. Nedo выделил 22,9 млрд иен на субсидирование разработок для снижения стоимости производства аммиака для сжигания. Планируется, что благодаря новым технологиям к 2030 г. себестоимость продукта опустится ниже 20 иен/нм3 ($310/т) с текущих 20—25 иен/нм3 при стандартном процессе Габера-Боша, когда аммиак образуется в результате соединения азота и водорода при высокой температуре под давлением.
Кроме того, японская инжиниринговая компания Chiyoda вместе с поставщиками электроэнергии Tokyo Electric Power и Jera и другими участниками отрасли планируют создать новый катализатор, который позволит производить аммиак при более низкой температуре и давлении, чем в процессе Габера-Боша. А японский нефтепереработчик Idemitsu совместно с Токийским технологическим институтом и университетами Токио, Кюсю и Осаки разрабатывает технологию производства зеленого аммиака при комнатной температуре и давлении с помощью катализатора на основе молибдена.
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