Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has secured a pivotal contract to lead the front-end engineering design of what is poised to be Japan’s most extensive carbon capture facility.
The project, commissioned by Hokkaido Electric Power Company (HEPCO), targets the capture of 5,200 metric tons of CO2 daily from its Tomato-Atsuma Power Station, a coal-fired plant on Japan’s northern island.
The proposed system will employ MHI’s proprietary carbon capture technology and plays a central role in a broader national initiative to advance carbon capture and storage (CCS).
In partnership with Idemitsu Kosan and Japan Petroleum Exploration Co., HEPCO will work under a contract with the state-backed Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC) to develop the facility and associated storage infrastructure.
Overall Scope of the Project. Image courtesy of MHI.
Captured emissions are slated for offshore injection into deep saline aquifers near Tomakomai, a region the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry recently designated as Japan’s first official CCS zone. The project aims to sequester up to 2 million tons of CO2 annually by 2030.
The effort is a key component of MHI’s broader “MISSION NET ZERO” commitment to carbon neutrality by 2040.
MHI Expanding It’s CO2 Capture Project Portfolio
The company is actively building a global carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) ecosystem as it seeks to decarbonize the energy landscape on both the demand and supply sides.
Recently the company concluded a General License Agreement (GLA) with Chiyoda Corporation (Chiyoda), granting rights for “KM CDR Process™” and “Advanced KM CDR Process™” which are focused on handling a variety of exhaust sources and a wide range of volumes, from small to large plants.
Image source: mhi.com
In late 2024 MHI also initiated a demonstration test for CO2 capture at Hokuetsu‘s Niigata Mill along with Hokuetsu Corporation, a leading Japanese paper manufacturer. This mirrors efforts in the U.S. where a variety of companies like Elimini and CO280 have been engaged in the combined approach of capturing carbon from paper and pulp plants whose feedstock is sustainably managed and should ultimately lead to fewer emissions.
Coal and CO2 Capture
As it stands Japan remains the only G7 country without a definitive coal phase-out date. In April 2024, during the G7 Climate, Energy, and Environment Ministers’ Meeting in Turin, Italy, the G7 collectively agreed to phase out unabated coal power generation by 2035.
However, the agreement included flexibility for coal-dependent countries like Japan, allowing for timelines consistent with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C.
The approach to coal varies across the globe and afforts to deploy carbon capture on coal plants vary widely. The booming Indonesia economy relies on coal but is developing carbon capture legislation and has showed a willingness to reduce emissions. Australia has also been involved with CO2 capture projects in the last years and continues to rely on coal for its export-oriented economy.
China and the U.S. lead in pilot-scale projects, and Beijing emphasizes deployment alongside coal expansion. In the States some efforts and economics have led to the reduction of coal as part of the energy mix but the most recent policies promoted by the Trump administration provide support for it.
Read more: MHI & Worley Awarded FEED Contract For Heidelberg Materials’ Carbon Capture Project
AloJapan.com