Japan Petroleum Exploration Co., Ltd. (JAPEX), Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. (Idemitsu), and Hokkaido Electric Power Co., Inc. (HEPCO) teamed up with the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC) to undertake the engineering design work for a Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project in the Tomakomai area.
The contract, secured through the public solicitation for the “Engineering Design Work for Advanced CCS Projects” for fiscal year 2024, involves developing components for a CCS value chain.
This initiative stems from a feasibility study conducted in 2023 and aims to commence CCS operations by fiscal year 2030.
Idemitsu and HEPCO are designing equipment to capture carbon emissions at source facilities.
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The equipment will be installed at key industrial locations in the Tomakomai region, providing the foundational infrastructure for carbon capture.
JAPEX will design the pipelines and storage systems for transporting CO2 to offshore sites, where it will be stored in deep saline formations beneath the seabed.
The objective is to capture and store 1.5 to 2 million tons of CO2 annually by 2030, significantly contributing to Japan’s decarbonisation objectives.
In addition, JAPEX will oversee the preparation work for drilling exploratory wells to evaluate the suitability of the planned storage sites.
This includes the construction, procurement, and data analysis of the exploratory wells, which are pivotal to the project’s success.
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The collaboration aims to launch the Tomakomai CCS project and subsequently expand into a network of CCS Hubs & Clusters capable of accommodating multiple sources of CO2 emissions.
This aligns with broader Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) initiatives designed to help Japan in meeting its climate targets.