Several Japanese companies, including Mitsui & Co [8031:JP], Mitsui Chemicals [4183:JP], IHI Corp [7013:JP], and Kansai Electric Power Co [9503:JP], have announced a collaborative effort to explore the establishment of a hydrogen and ammonia supply chain within the Osaka coastal industrial zone, as reported by Reuters on August 30. This initiative was revealed shortly after Eneos [5020:JP] and Osaka Gas [9532:JP] unveiled plans to study the construction of a large e-methane facility, utilizing green hydrogen, in the Osaka Bay area.

In a separate development, Tokyo Gas[9531:JP], Osaka Gas, Toho Gas [THOGY:US], Mitsubishi Corp [8058:JP], and Sempra Infrastructure Partners LP have disclosed their intentions to jointly investigate e-methane imports from the United States to Japan. This project envisions the creation of a facility capable of producing 130,000 metric tons of e-methane annually in the U.S., which would then be liquefied at the Cameron liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal and exported to Japan starting in 2030. This capacity represents around 1% of the gas demand of Tokyo Gas, Osaka Gas, and Toho Gas combined. Financial details of these projects have not been provided.

Sources:

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/japans-mitsui-others-jointly-study-hydrogen-ammonia-supply-chain-osaka-2023-08-30/