INPEX Launches CO2 Capture and Storage for Blue Hydrogen and Ammonia Project in Japan

en.Wedoany.com Reported - INPEX has begun injecting carbon dioxide (CO2), a byproduct of hydrogen production, into a depleted underground gas reservoir at the Hirai district of the Higashi-Kashiwazaki gas field in Kashiwazaki City, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. This initiative is part of the company's "Integrated Blue Hydrogen and Ammonia Production and Utilization Demonstration Project" being advanced locally.

This project is Japan's first demonstration project covering the entire chain from hydrogen and ammonia production to utilization. Hydrogen and ammonia are clean energy sources that emit no CO2 during the usage phase. With the commencement of CO2 injection, the project will reduce overall emissions by capturing and storing CO2 generated during the hydrogen production process. Based in Niigata Prefecture, the demonstration project sources feedstock gas from natural gas produced at INPEX's Minami-Nagaoka gas field operated in the prefecture. The produced hydrogen is used to generate electricity at hydrogen gas-fired power generation facilities within the Kashiwazaki Hydrogen Park, supplying power to consumers in Niigata Prefecture; a portion of the hydrogen is also converted to ammonia and supplied to customers within the prefecture.

The CO2 generated at the hydrogen production facility is separated and captured using HiPACT® technology. This technology, jointly developed by JGC Global Co. Ltd. and BASF, is a high-pressure CO2 capture technology characterized by capture under high-pressure conditions, which is expected to reduce energy consumption and costs across the entire capture and injection process compared to conventional technologies. This technology may also contribute to improving the economics of blue hydrogen and ammonia production as well as carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects, facilitating the dissemination and commercialization of related processes.

The hydrogen and ammonia production facilities and CO2 capture process of the demonstration project are implemented with funding under the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) program "Development of Technologies for Fuel Ammonia Production and Utilization / Development of Blue Ammonia Production Technologies." The implementation and evaluation of geological CO2 storage is part of a joint research project with the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC), under the research theme "Demonstration Project for Assessing CO2 Storage Capacity in Depleted Oil and Gas Fields in Japan for Decarbonization through Natural Gas Utilization and Related Initiatives."

INPEX released its "INPEX Vision 2035" in February 2025, promoting "responsible energy transition." Under this vision, the company plans to expand the supply of low-carbon solutions centered on CCS and hydrogen by 2035. This demonstration project is a key initiative under that strategy, and INPEX has stated that it will continue advancing related efforts to support the realization of a carbon-neutral society.