Tokyo Gas. Osaka Gas join Masdar, Inpex in e-methane feasibility study

Masdar, Inpex Corporation, Tokyo Gas, and Osaka Gas have signed a collaboration agreement to jointly conduct a feasibility study on e-methane production in Abu Dhabi, the companies said on January 23.

The collaboration aims to explore the production of e-methane using low-cost renewable energy, building on a joint study initiated by Masdar and Inpex in July 2023.

Tokyo Gas and Osaka Gas have newly joined the initiative, and both companies plan to offtake e-methane volumes equivalent to 1% of their annual city gas demand. Additionally, Tokyo Gas and Osaka Gas aim to introduce e-methane to cover 1% of their respective annual city gas demand by 2030, with further increases in introduction volume from their global projects by 2050.

The collaborative effort will involve evaluating the economics of producing and procuring feedstocks, including green hydrogen and CO2, as well as the production and transportation of e-methane. E-methane is considered compatible with existing LNG infrastructure, such as LNG tankers and terminals, as well as city gas infrastructure, including pipelines and consumer gas equipment. This compatibility helps limit the social costs associated with the introduction of e-methane.