Woodside joins Japanese consortium to study hydrogen exports

Australian LNG player Woodside Petroleum has joined a consortium of Japanese companies to study exporting carbon-neutral hydrogen. 

Woodside has signed a deal with LNG importing giant JERA, Marubeni Corporation and IHI Corporation to undertake the joint study.

The study will be examining the large-scale export of hydrogen as ammonia for use decarbonising coal-fired power generation in Japan.

The consortium has received approval from Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) for a feasibility study covering the entire hydrogen-as-ammonia value chain, Woodside said in a statement.

The study will examine the construction and operation of world-scale ammonia facilities and the optimisation of supply chain costs.

As part of the study, Woodside will be investigating the transition from blue to green hydrogen for export.

Blue hydrogen is produced from gas using steam methane reforming, with related carbon emissions offset.

Green hydrogen is produced from renewable energy using electrolysis.

In both production processes hydrogen is combined with nitrogen to form ammonia to enable it to be shipped as a liquid.

Ammonia does not produce any on site carbon emission when consumed in a power plant, according to the statement.

Woodside CEO Peter Coleman said the agreement was another step forward in Woodside’s exploration of the potential of hydrogen as a “clean fuel of the future”.

“Woodside and its partners in Japan have forged new energy pathways before and we can do so again, as we expect by 2030 to see large-scale hydrogen production around the world and we intend to be part of that”, he said.