Laman Zeynalova
Deputy Editor-in-Chief Read more
BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 23. Japan’s INPEX Corporation has started ammonia production at its Integrated Blue Hydrogen and Ammonia Production and Utilization Demonstration Project in Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture, and begun supplying the product to Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company (MGC), the company said on October 23.
The project is the first in Japan to integrate the entire hydrogen and ammonia value chain, from production to utilization, bringing together technologies intended to support the use of hydrogen and ammonia as lower-carbon energy sources.
“With the commencement of ammonia production and supply, INPEX has achieved integrated demonstration operations covering the process from hydrogen production through ammonia production,” the company said.
INPEX said the experience gained from producing and supplying hydrogen and ammonia would inform optimization studies for future large-scale low-carbon solutions.
Domestic natural gas and carbon capture
The project uses natural gas produced at INPEX’s Minami-Nagaoka Gas Field in Nagaoka, also located in Niigata Prefecture, as feedstock for hydrogen and ammonia production.
Carbon dioxide generated as a by-product of the process is injected into an underground reservoir in the Hirai area of the Higashi-Kashiwazaki Gas Field, where gas production has ceased. The process forms part of a carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) initiative aimed at reducing CO₂ emissions into the atmosphere.
Ammonia is produced from hydrogen using a low-temperature, low-pressure synthesis technology developed by Tsubame BHB Co. The technology relies on a proprietary electride catalyst and enables ammonia synthesis at lower temperatures and pressures than the conventional Haber-Bosch process.
According to INPEX, the technology could allow for more compact production facilities and lower energy consumption. It also enables production close to demand centres, potentially supporting a more decentralized ammonia supply model.
Government-backed research and decarbonization strategy
The hydrogen and ammonia production facilities, together with the CO₂ capture processes, are being developed under a subsidized project selected by Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) as part of its programme for developing fuel ammonia production and utilization technologies, including blue ammonia production.
The geological CO₂ storage demonstration and evaluation are being conducted under a joint research project with the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC), focusing on assessing CO₂ storage capacity in depleted oil and gas fields in Japan.
In February 2025, INPEX announced its INPEX Vision 2035 strategy, which sets out its ambition to advance a “Responsible Energy Transition.”
“Under the vision, INPEX aims to expand the provision of low-carbon solutions centered on CCS and hydrogen by 2035,” the company said.
INPEX described the demonstration project as an important initiative supporting that objective, adding that it would continue efforts to contribute to the realization of a carbon-neutral society.
INPEX is Japan’s largest exploration and production company, with oil and gas development and operations worldwide. Alongside its core business, the company is pursuing lower-carbon solutions, including carbon capture and storage (CCS), hydrogen and integrated power supply.