INPEX advances blue hydrogen and ammonia project
Published by Willow Munz,
Editorial Assistant
Global Hydrogen Review,
INPEX CORP. (INPEX) announced that it has commenced the injection of CO2 generated as a by-product of hydrogen production into a subsurface reservoir in the Hirai area of the Higashi-Kashiwazaki Gas Field, where gas production has already ceased, as part of its Integrated Blue Hydrogen and Ammonia Production and Utilisation Demonstration Project (the “Demonstration Project”) being conducted in Kashiwazaki City, Niigata Prefecture.
The Demonstration Project is the first in Japan to integrate the entire hydrogen and ammonia value chain, from production through utilisation, involving hydrogen and ammonia as clean energy sources that do not emit CO2 during use. The commencement of CO2 injection will enable the project to reduce CO2 emissions by capturing and storing CO2 generated during hydrogen production.
The Demonstration Project is a locally integrated project based in Niigata Prefecture, where INPEX has conducted operations for many years. The feedstock gas used in the project is domestically produced natural gas from the Minami-Nagaoka Gas Field operated by INPEX in Niigata Prefecture. Hydrogen produced through the Demonstration Project is supplied as electricity within Niigata Prefecture via hydrogen-fired power generation facilities located at Kashiwazaki Hydrogen Park. In addition, a portion of the hydrogen is converted into ammonia and supplied to customers within the prefecture.
In the Demonstration Project, CO2 generated from the hydrogen production facility is separated and captured using HiPACT®, a high-pressure CO2 capture technology jointly developed by JGC Global Co., Ltd. And BASF. A key feature of the technology is its ability to capture CO2 under high-pressure conditions, which is expected to reduce energy consumption and costs required for the entire CO2 capture and injection process compared with conventional technologies. The technology is also expected to play an important role in improving the economic viability of blue hydrogen and ammonia production as well as carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects, thereby contributing to their wider deployment and commercialisation.
The hydrogen and ammonia production facilities and CO2 capture processes of the Demonstration Project are being implemented under a subsidised project adopted by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) as part of its program entitled “Development of Technologies for Fuel Ammonia Production and Utilisation / Technology Development for Blue Ammonia Production.”
The implementation and evaluation of geological CO2 storage are being carried out under a joint research project with the Japan Organisation for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC) entitled “Demonstration Project to Assess CO2 Storage Capacity in Depleted Oil and Gas Fields in Japan for Decarbonization through Natural Gas Utilisation and Related Initiatives.”
In February 2025, INPEX announced INPEX Vision 2035, which sets forth the realisation of a 'Responsible Energy Transition.' Under the vision, INPEX aims to expand the provision of lowcarbon solutions centred on CCS and hydrogen by 2035. The Demonstration Project represents an important initiative toward achieving this objective. Through the project, INPEX will continue to advance efforts to help realise a carbon-neutral society.
Read the article online at: https://www.globalhydrogenreview.com/hydrogen/28082026/inpex-advances-blue-hydrogen-and-ammonia-project/