Jurong Port, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Asia Pacific and JERA Asia Come Together to Explore Establishing an Ammonia Direct Combustion Power Plant

Aug 22, 2022 09:00 JST

Source: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.

The project aims to accomplish the twin goals of supplying green electricity and developing an ammonia bunkering terminal.

Singapore, Aug 22, 2022 - (JCN Newswire) - Jurong Port, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Asia Pacific (MHI-AP), a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and JERA Asia, a subsidiary of JERA, today concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly explore establishing a 100% ammonia direct combustion power plant on Jurong Island, Singapore, which houses the country's chemical and energy industries.
Under the MoU, a joint study will be conducted, where a 60MW class gas turbine combined cycle plant fueled by 100% ammonia is planned to be set up to produce carbon-neutral electricity, as well as stimulate ammonia demand to be ready for ammonia bunkering in future.

This MoU builds upon an initial agreement between Jurong Port and MHI-AP signed in August 2021 for a pre-feasibility study on ammonia direct combustion technology for green power generation, which was concluded successfully in March 2022.

In February this year, the Singapore government raised its climate ambition to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions by or around 2050. This project is in alignment with the overall national decarbonization goals, as it aims to utilize ammonia - which can efficiently transport and store hydrogen in a liquid state at low cost - as a fuel to generate carbon-free electricity, and as the main bunkering fuel in future to decarbonize the maritime sector. The MoU will hence explore the viability and commercialization of ammonia for these purposes.

"We feel this MoU could help pave the way for encouraging the adoption of hydrogen in Singapore through aggregation of demand across multiple sectors, mainly the power sector and the maritime sector, thereby addressing the chicken-and-egg conundrum of infrastructure versus demand needs for maritime and domestic power generation. This collaboration is certainly consistent with the spirit of reinforcing Singapore's premier bunkering hub status - for current, transition and future fuels," said Ooi Boon Hoe, Chief Executive Officer, Jurong Port.

Osamu Ono, Managing Director, MHI-AP, said: "Ammonia, which consists of hydrogen and nitrogen, is a highly efficient hydrogen carrier and can be directly combusted as a carbon neutral fuel, thereby contributing to the establishment of a robust hydrogen value chain. At MHI, we believe that ammonia and hydrogen are key fuels that can help countries meet their net zero goals, and this MoU is an exciting opportunity for us to contribute our technology and expertise to achieve sustainable development in Singapore and subsequently realize the global sustainability agenda."

"JERA is committed to providing cutting edge solutions to the world's energy issues and is actively working to strengthen both the ammonia and hydrogen value chains. We believe this MoU offers a unique opportunity to support Singapore's decarbonization efforts while advancing the ammonia technology development for carbon neutral power generation. Through initiatives like this, JERA will leverage its experience and capabilities to help countries to reach their net-zero CO2 emissions targets and to build a clean energy supply chain in the region," said Toshiro Kudama, Chief Executive Officer, JERA Asia.

Together, the three companies will contribute to achieving net-zero CO2 emissions in Singapore by leveraging their technology, resources and expertise.

About Jurong Port

Jurong Port (JP) is a world-class multipurpose port operator serving as Singapore's premier gateway for general and bulk cargo. Its port operating expertise includes efficient handling of general, bulk, and containerised cargo at JP Homeport, management and operations of the Tuas Offshore Marine Centre, Lighter Terminals in Penjuru and Marina South as well as overseas ports in China and Indonesia. JP also owns and operates two of the most modern tank storage terminals in Singapore - Jurong Port Tank Terminals (JPTT) and Jurong Port Universal Terminal (JPUT). With a combined storage capacity of almost 3 million m3, JP is the largest independent storage terminal operator in Singapore. JPUT, in particular, supports approximately 30% of Singapore's annual bunkering volume, reinforcing the nation's position as the top bunkering hub in the world. JP caters to regional and domestic markets across diverse industry supply chains which include construction, shipbuilding, offshore, transport, logistics, energy, and manufacturing industries. JP's local and overseas terminals handled a total of 70 million tons of general and bulk cargo and more than half a million TEUs in 2021. Amongst others, JP won the Lloyd's List Asia Pacific Port/ Terminal Operator of the Year Award in 2018 and the National Infocomm Award for Most Innovative Use of Infocomm Technology (Private Sector) in 2016.

For more information, please visit www.jp.com.sg or follow us on Facebook and Linkedin.

About Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Asia Pacific (MHI-AP)

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. (MHI-AP) is a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), one of the world's leading industrial firms. Located in Singapore, the Asia Pacific headquarters supports the growth of markets in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, India, Australia and other parts of the region. MHI-AP builds on its global outlook and deep local insights to deliver integrated solutions to the region in urban development and infrastructure, energy and utilities, as well as logistics and transportation. As a market leader in Asia Pacific, MHI-AP provides reliable and innovative solutions that move the world forward.

For more information, visit www.mhi.com/.

About JERA

Established in 2015, JERA is an equal joint venture of two major Japanese electric companies, TEPCO Fuel & Power Incorporated and Chubu Electric Power Company. JERA is an energy company with global reach that has strength in the entire energy supply chain, from participation in LNG upstream projects and fuel procurement, through fuel transportation to power generation. JERA's mission is to provide cutting edge solutions to the world's energy issues, by offering energy supply models established in Japan through JERA's global operations to other countries. JERA has recently established its New Corporate Vision for 2035, indicating its goal "To scale up its clean energy platform of renewables and low greenhouse gas thermal power, sparking sustainable development in Asia and around the world". With this context, JERA is interested in the development of the ammonia value chain in Singapore and the overall strategic vision towards sustainable development in Asia and around the world.

For more details: https://www.jera.co.jp/english/

About MHI Group

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group is one of the world's leading industrial groups, spanning energy, smart infrastructure, industrial machinery, aerospace and defense. MHI Group combines cutting-edge technology with deep experience to deliver innovative, integrated solutions that help to realize a carbon neutral world, improve the quality of life and ensure a safer world. For more information, please visit www.mhi.com or follow our insights and stories on spectra.mhi.com.

Sectors: Energy, Alternatives