JERA and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) have signed memorandums of understanding about their cooperation in the transportation of fuel ammonia for the Hekinan Thermal Power Plant.
JERA has been aiming to promote the use of cleaner fuels, pursue thermal power that doesn’t produce CO2 during power generation, and reduce CO2 emissions from its domestic and international operations to zero by 2050 as part of its “JERA Zero CO2 Emissions 2050” objective.
To facilitate the low-cost purchase of ammonia in the huge volumes needed as fuel for power generation, larger transport boats are necessary.
The MOUs encompass the cooperative assessment of strategies for creating secure transport networks and large-volume ammonia carriers. The MOUs, specifically, examine potential fuel-ammonia carriers for domestic thermal power plants and receiving stations.
It also addresses developing a fuel ammonia delivery and receiving system.
installing and running ammonia-fueled propulsion engines, and collaborating with relevant parties to promote the creation of regulations governing the receipt of ammonia fuel.
Since February of this year, JERA has been conducting an international competitive bidding process for fuel ammonia procurement, including an opportunity to participate in a fuel ammonia production project, in order to prepare for the start of commercial operation of large-volume co-firing of fuel ammonia (20% of heating value) at Hekinan Thermal Power Station Unit 4 in the second half of the 2020s. A supply chain that runs from upstream fuel ammonia to power generation will be established for the Hekinan Thermal Power Plant thanks to the development of a technology for shipping ammonia used as a fuel.
If successful, building a fuel ammonia supply chain and creating large-volume ammonia carriers would both be firsts in the world.
