JAPEX spuds second CCS exploration well in Tomakomai, Japan

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Japan Petroleum Exploration (JAPEX) has spudded a second exploration well in the Tomakomai area of Hokkaido, Japan, to confirm geological structures suitable for carbon dioxide (CO₂) storage and provide data to support the Tomakomai Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project.

The drilling is being conducted under a license issued by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, using a rig located in Masago-cho, Tomakomai City, for extended-reach drilling targeting below the seabed. JAPEX plans to combine data from the new well with information from the first exploration well to support the final investment decision for the CCS project in the region.

Prior to the start of drilling, a spudding ceremony was held in August 2025, attended by 27 representatives from the government, local authorities, and project stakeholders.

The Tomakomai CCS project plans to separate and capture CO₂ from Idemitsu Kosan's Hokkaido Refinery and Hokkaido Electric Power's Tomatou-Atsuma Power Station, with JAPEX responsible for underground injection and storage of the captured CO₂. The project partners have set a target to commence CO₂ storage by fiscal year 2030, and the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC) has commissioned engineering design work in fiscal year 2024.

The previous Tomakomai CCS demonstration project operated from 2016 to 2019. The project used an amine-based process to capture and store CO₂ generated during hydrogen production at a coastal refinery on Hokkaido Island, with an annual capture and storage volume of approximately 100,000 tonnes. The cumulative demonstration target of 300,000 tonnes was achieved by the end of 2019, after which injection activities concluded as scheduled, and subsurface CO₂ monitoring continued after injection was completed.

The demonstration project was managed by Japan CCS, initially commissioned by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and from 2018 onward commissioned by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). In October 2024, JAPEX, Idemitsu Kosan, and Hokkaido Electric Power established a collaborative relationship with JOGMEC for the Tomakomai CCS project.