Seven major Japanese companies, including Shikoku Electric Power Company, Taiyo Oil Company, Taiyo Nippon Sanso Company, Mazda Motor Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation, Namikata Terminal Company, and Mitsubishi Corporation Clean Energy, have formed the “Council for Utilizing Namikata Terminal as a Hub for Introducing Fuel Ammonia.”
The Council will explore the possibility of transforming the Namikata Terminal in Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture, into a clean energy hub. Ehime Prefecture, Imabari City, Saijo City, Niihama City, and Shikokuchuo City will participate as observers.
Photo Credit: Namikata Terminal Company
With Mitsubishi and Shikoku Electric Power as joint secretariats, the Council will address various issues, including scheduling, legal and regulatory matters, efficient terminal use, and measures to increase fuel ammonia demand in the region. The initiative is based on the assumption that existing LPG tanks owned by Mitsubishi at the terminal will be converted to ammonia tanks, and that the terminal will handle approximately 1 million tons of ammonia annually by 2030.
Amid growing expectations for ammonia’s potential following the Japanese government’s declaration of carbon-neutrality by 2050, the Namikata Terminal could play a crucial role as a supply hub. Ammonia has multiple applications, such as a co-firing fuel at thermal power plants, a thermoelectricity source in general industry, and a hydrogen source via ammonia cracking technology at hydrogen stations. The terminal’s transformation would promote ammonia utilization in the Shikoku and Chugoku regions and establish an efficient supply chain.
The Namikata Terminal currently handles around 1 million tons of LPG and other petroleum products from Japan and overseas each year. Boasting four decades of experience as an energy hub, the terminal is equipped with large-scale low-temperature LPG tanks that can be converted to ammonia tanks, docking berths for large vessels, and other facilities that can quickly meet the region’s ammonia demand.
By uniting public and private interests, the Council aims to reestablish the Namikata Terminal as a clean energy hub, foster new clean energy industries in the region, and support sustainable local economic development.
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