Fukushima's hydrogen potential is attracting co-operation from Japan's car industry in developing infrastructure to supply fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) to help achieve the country's 2050 decarbonisation goal, 10 years after the area's devastating nuclear disaster.
The Japanese government has backed Fukushima's restoration of its devastated economy and industries by exploiting its renewable power resources since the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011. A magnitude 9 earthquake and subsequent tsunamis on 11 March 2011 cut off power supplies to the reactor cooling system at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant and caused the meltdown of three reactors, contaminating surrounding areas and forcing more than 160,000 residents to evacuate at the peak of the crisis.
Power output from renewable sources, such as solar, wind and biomass, has rapidly expanded in Fukushima since to develop renewable energy and a hydrogen economy. Fukushima is now expected to become fully self-sufficient in electricity by 2025 compared with around 80pc in the April 2020-March 2021 fiscal year, according to the Fukushima prefectural government's forecast. It also became the largest solar power producing prefecture last year.
Carbon-free ambitions
The abundant renewable power resources have attracted various industries striving to make their operations carbon-free. Japan has pledged to achieve its decarbonisation goal by 2050.
Japan's largest car producer Toyota is willing to join Fukushima's effort to promote the use of green hydrogen and develop hydrogen mobility. Green hydrogen is produced from water with no emissions, using renewable electricity in the electrolysis process. Toyota president Akio Toyoda last week visited the Fukushima hydrogen energy research field (FH2R) and expressed interest in the car industry joining the effort. He is the chairman of Japanese car producer group Jama.
"It is important to link the whole process of production, distribution and consumption in order to realise a hydrogen society. We, the car industry as a consumer, are planning to use our expertise and join the government and Fukushima in the effort," Toyoda said today.
FH2R in March last year started up a 10MW electrolyser to produce 1,200 Nm³/hr, or around 900 t/yr, of hydrogen using power generated at a 20MW solar unit. The produced green hydrogen is planned to supply fuel cell power generation systems, FCEVs and industrial plants in the Fukushima and Tokyo areas and to be distributed as compressed hydrogen on tanker trucks or in cylinders.
FH2R was set up by plant engineering firm Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions, utility Tohoku Electric Power and industrial gas supplier Iwatani, backed by state industrial technology research agency Nedo. The FH2R plant is located at Fukushima's Namie, located around 25km northwest of Fukushima-Daiichi.
The government last month decided to accelerate efforts to develop hydrogen mobility technologies, including fuel cell buses and trucks, and expand hydrogen demand, using FH2R's green hydrogen output. Tokyo is also aiming to introduce hydrogen and ammonia infrastructure at Fukushima's Onahama port, one of the six key domestic ports selected to establish a carbon-neutral port.
The transport sector is expected to become a major user of hydrogen, with its demand forecast to hit 6mn t/yr by 2050. The car industry has teamed up with Japanese energy firms to develop hydrogen refuelling stations nationwide in efforts to promote FCEVs. There are currently 138 hydrogen stations, with 900 targeted by 2050. Japan wants to sell only electric vehicles and no new gasoline-only cars by 2025.
Moving on from nuclear
Fukushima in 2019 put an end to its near 50-year nuclear power operations when utility Tepco scrapped the Fukushima-Daini nuclear power plant. Nearly 340km² of the region is unlivable because of high-level radioactive contamination following the accident, with 24,000 residents forced out.
None of the nuclear reactors in the March 2011 earthquake-affected area have restarted since the disaster, following their closure for inspection and reinforcement under the country's new safety guidelines. The nine reactors that have resumed operations are in the west of Japan.
Tepco is working on decommissioning of Fukushima-Daiichi, ahead of Fukushima-Daini, which is expected to take 44 years to complete. The utility has completed removing all the nuclear fuel rods from the spent fuel pool at Fukushima-Daiichi's No.3 reactor, which suffered a meltdown. This began in April 2019, four years later than an original plan. The company is targeting to complete removing fuel rods from all the plant's six reactors over the next 10 years. But the challenge for Tepco is recovering resolidified melted fuel debris at the three reactors that had meltdowns.
