JOGMEC awards Metropolitan area CCS value chain project to Japanese trio

Japan’s Inpex Corporation, Nippon Steel Corporation and Kanto Natural Gas Development have concluded a consignment contract with the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC) regarding the “basic engineering design for carbon capture and storage (CCS) value chain” and “assessment on CO2 storage potential including exploratory drilling” commissioned by JOGMEC. The parties will undertake the Metropolitan area CCS project.

From this fiscal year onwards, Inpex, Nippon Steel and Kanto Natural Gas Development are expected to proceed with the subsequent phases of the feasibility study, including the design of the entire CCS value chain and the evaluation of storage potential.

According to the companies, the project will involve studying the feasibility of capturing CO2 emitted from Nippon Steel’s East Nippon Works Kimitsu Area and multiple industries in the Keiyo Industrial Zone in the Tokyo metropolitan area, transporting the CO2 through pipelines and storing the CO2 off the East Coast of the Boso Peninsula in Chiba Prefecture.

Each company will leverage its respective technological capabilities and knowledge to jointly conduct studies and surveys in each segment of the CCS value chain, including CO2 separation, capture, transportation and storage toward the commercialization of CCS.

Through the project, the three parties will collaborate to promote initiatives that contribute to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and contribute to the realization of a sustainable society.

To note, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has expressed its support for projects aimed at initiating CCS operations in Japan by 2030. As part of this effort, JOGMEC conducted a commissioned study “Survey on the Implementation of Advanced CCS Projects” in 2023, which focused on the feasibility of CO2 separation, capture, transportation and storage for this project.

In recent years, multiple CCS agreements have been signed in Japan, one of them being a deal between Inpex and JERA to conduct a joint study to assess the feasibility of establishing a CCS value chain from Japan to Australia. The project would involve the capture of CO2 in Japan and its transportation to Australia for storage.