Japanese company Mitsui & Co. has signed an agreement with the Fukui prefectural government and Hokuriku Electric Power Company to conduct a joint feasibility study on the development of a hydrogen and ammonia supply chain using floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) in the port of Tsuruga.
The study has been selected for a subsidy under a Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry scheme to promote understanding of structural advancement and transitioning in the energy sector.
At a co-creation council hosted by the Japanese government, it was decided that efforts should be pointed toward the consolidation and industrialization of hydrogen and ammonia use within the region.
The meeting also called for efforts to make the port of Tsuruga the main location for the offloading and supply facilities, especially the storage tanks and pipelines.
As described, the purpose of the joint study by Mitsui and its partners centers around the development of a hydrogen/ammonia supply chain at the Tsuruga port, including the introduction of ammonia FSRU, the utilization of ammonia supplied from the FSRU, and the use of hydrogen to generate power for cargo handling equipment.
Fukui Prefecture will examine the introduction of hydrogen-based power generation, while Hokuriku Electric Power will investigate the utilization of ammonia. For its part, Mitsui & Co. will coordinate a study related to FSRU.
Hydrogen and ammonia are identified in the Japanese government’s Sixth Strategic Energy Plan as energy resources that can be expected to play a vital role in the carbon-neutral era.
Earlier this year, Mitsui & Co., also teamed up with Mitsui Chemicals, IHI Corporation and The Kansai Electric Power Co. to execute a joint study to establish a hydrogen and ammonia supply chain based in the Osaka coastal industrial zone.