Establishment of a "Council for utilizing Namikata Terminal as a Hub for introducing Fuel Ammonia"

Apr 14, 2023 11:54 JST

Source: mazda

HIROSHIMA, Japan, Apr 14, 2023 - (JCN Newswire) - Shikoku Electric Power Company, Taiyo Oil Company, Taiyo Nippon Sanso Company, Mazda Motor Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation, Nam ikata Term inal Company, and Mitsubishi Corporation Clean Energy have agreed to establish the "Council for utilizing Nam ikata Terminal as a Hub for introducing Fuel Ammonia" (hereinafter referred to as the "Council"). The Council, which Mitsubishi Corporation and Shikoku Electric Power Company serve as joint secretariats, shall study the possibility of turning the Namikata Terminal(1) located in Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture, into a hub for clean energies. Ehime Prefecture, Imabari City, Saijo City, Niihama City, and Shikokuch uo City will also participate in the Council as observers.

(Photo Credit: Namikata Terminal Company)

The Council's agenda will include scheduling, legal and regulatory issues, efficient use of the terminal, measures to grow demand for fuel ammonia in the area and other issues, based on the assumption that the existing LPG tanks owned by Mitsubishi Corporation at the terminal will be converted to ammonia tanks and that the terminal will become a hub handling approximately 1 million tonnes of ammonia per year by 2030.

Since the Government of japan declared that Japan would realize carbon-neutrality by 2050, there have been growing expectations surrounding the potential of ammonia, which has numerous applications, including as a co- firing fuel at thermal power plants, a source of thermoelectricity in general industry, and a source of hydrogen via ammonia cracking technology at hydrogen stations(2). Our belief is that the Namikata Term inal can play an important role as a supply hub to realize the establishment of an efficient supply chain of ammonia, in promoting the utilization of ammonia in the Shikoku and Chugoku regions.

The Namikata Term inal handles approximately 1 million tons of LPG and other petroleum products brought in from Japan and overseas each year. In addition to its four decades of experience as an energy hub, the term inal is equipped with several large-scale low-temperature LPG tanks (45,000 tons/unit) that can be converted to ammonia tanks, docking berths for large vessels and other facilities that can quickly respond to region's demand for ammonia.

The Council shall work to unite public and private interests to reestablish the Namikata Term inal as a clean energy hub, create new clean energy industries in the region and help the sustainable development of the local economy.

(1) Some petroleum-related facilities of the terminal are owned by Taiyo Oil Company and the others are owned by Mitsubishi Corporation. The terminal is operated by Namikata Terminal Company.
(2) Technology to extract hydrogen from ammonia.

For more information, visit https://newsroom.mazda.com/en/publicity/release/2023/202304/230414a.pdf.

Source: mazda
Sectors: Oil & Gas