Osaka Gas, MHI team up for CCUS feasibility study

Osaka Gas and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) have entered into an agreement to conduct a feasibility study on a project to develop a CO₂ value chain for carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS), including transporting CO₂ captured in Japan to overseas, the companies said on March 31.

The companies plan to utilise the project to produce e-methane, synthetic gas produced through methanation, and storing it underground.

“The project aims to establish an efficient CO₂ value chain, leveraging Osaka Gas’s know-how on e-methane production and CO₂ storage and MHI’s expertise in CO₂ capture, liquefied CO₂ maritime vessel transport, and CO₂ management,” they said.

The partners will examine methods to capture CO₂ emitted from the hard-to-abate industries, such as steel, cement, and chemicals, and transport liquefied CO₂ using ships. Osaka Gas and MHI will conduct a feasibility study on the entire CCUS scheme, including CO₂ utilisation for e-methane and underground sequestration, in corporation with companies from a wide variety of industries.

The project also plans to expand its CCUS scheme through the trade and transfer of CCUS’s environmental value quantified by CO₂NNEX, a digital platform under development by MHI and IBM Japan for visualising CO₂ value chain.