Tokyo-based Mitsui & Co. Ltd. and JERA Co., Japan’s largest energy generator, have concluded a sales agreement covering the supply of fuel ammonia for use in ammonia co-firing trials at the JERA Hekinan Thermal Power Station in the city of Hekinan, Aichi, Japan, according to a June 16 announcement from both companies.
Built by Chubu Electric Power in 1991, the Hekinan Thermal Power Station is the largest coal-fired power station in Japan, with total generating capacity of 4,100 MW. In April 2019, all thermal power plant operations of Chubu were transferred to JERA, a joint venture between Chubu and TEPCO Fuel & Power Inc, a subsidiary of Tokyo Electric Power Co.
Since 2021, JERA has been implementing a demonstration project to establish technology for large-scale ammonia fuel co-firing at Hekinan, with plans to co-fire the burners with 20% ammonia by 2025.
Mitsui is Japan’s leading importer of ammonia, supplying approximately 700,000 mt/y to primarily the Asian chemical and fertilizer markets. The company has set a target of achieving zero-emission status by 2050 and aims to halve its greenhouse gas (GHG) impact by 2030, compared with 2020 levels.