Japan, Belgium firms eye hydrogen demand in Kyushu

Trading house Itochu is joining forces with Japanese coke producer Nippon Coke & Engineering and Belgium shipping firm Compagnie Maritime Belge (CMB) to examine the possibility of developing a local hydrogen production and supply chain in northern Kyushu areas as part of efforts to realise a decarbonised society.

The project is targeted to utilise byproduct hydrogen from Nippon Coke's coke producing operations and CMB's hydrogen-powered ship engine technology, combined with Itochu's long-established business ties with steel mills and utilities, future potential users of hydrogen. The partners are planning to determine potential hydrogen demand in the northern Kyushu area, one of the country's major manufacturing areas, and launch a hydrogen supply chain sometime during the April 2023-March 2024 fiscal year. The project is subject to regulatory approvals.

Nippon Coke is operating its 2.1mn t/yr coke production plant at Kitakyushu, Fukuoka prefecture in the northern part of Kyushu island. It is expected to offer stable supply of hydrogen and meet local demand in the northern Kyushu area via a separation of hydrogen from byproduct gases from its coke production process.

Itochu said the company is aiming to develop hydrogen supply chain projects in other Japanese areas upon completion of the northern Kyushu project. It is also seeking to participate in hydrogen production projects overseas.

Itochu is jointly studying the feasibility of a Japan-Russia project to produce and export blue ammonia from Russia to Japan, while also participating in projects to develop supply infrastructure in Japan and Singapore to use ammonia as a marine fuel.

CMB plans to launch the 19 gross-tonne passenger ferry HydroBingo, which is equipped with a dual fuel hydrogen-diesel combustion engine, in Japan in April this year. The new ferry will be operating in Seto inland sea stretching between the main Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku islands.

The Belgium firm has co-operated with Japanese shipbuilder Tsuneishi Facilities & Craft in development and construction of the HydroBingo, Japan's first hydrogen-fuelled passenger ferry. The ferry will have a capacity to carry 80 passengers and will be refuelled by a trailer via roll-on/roll-off hydrogen storage.

Japan plans to expand hydrogen use under its roadmap towards a 2050 decarbonisation goal. Potential demand for hydrogen is projected to hit 3mn t/yr in 2030 before rising to 20mn t/yr in 2050. More Japanese firms are seeking hydrogen business opportunities in Japan and overseas in the wake of a potential demand growth for the clean energy.

A group of Japanese firms has recently studied the potential hydrogen demand in central Japan's Chubu region, which is projected at 110,000 t/yr in 2030 for use in power generation, oil and petrochemical operations, as well as for fuelling fuel cell (FC) vehicles and in-house FC generators.

By Rieko Suda