J-Power and CCS specialist developers deepC Store and Azuli International have been awarded contracts for two carbon dioxide (CO2) cultivation sites in Australia.
They are located in waters around 200-250 km off the northwest coast. The partners, who have entered into a joint study agreement, are targeting a large-scale sequestration option with volumes from Japan and Australia that could potentially store up to 1 gigaton of CO2, as well as the surrounding region.
Source: J-Power
The trio will also evaluate the complete liquefied CO2 value chain at sites in Japan and Australia and transport the CO2 by ship to floating storage and injection facilities in Australian waters.
Daein Cha, general manager of deepC Store, said both sites would be a good fit with CStore1 and its CCS development concept based on LCO2 shipping and FSI.
Hamish Wilson, Managing Director of Azuli International, said: “We have long recognised the potential of carbon sequestration in Australia and its potentially important role in supporting the decarbonisation ambitions of both Japan and Australia.”
“We are committed to developing a carbon transport and storage solution that meets the needs of Asia Pacific emitters whose carbon emissions are difficult to reduce. We plan to develop a commercially viable and technically robust solution through innovative strategic partnerships with key supply chain partners.”
Akira Yabumoto, Managing Director of J-POWER, said: “We expect this development to help provide Japan and Australia, as well as the surrounding regions, with a valuable opportunity to reduce carbon emissions.”
CCS will play a crucial role in J-Power’s Blue Mission 2050 and the global energy transition.
Growing relations between Japan and Australia
The Australian company Woodside Energy is also examining the potential of a CCS value chain between Japan and Australia and signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) with four Japanese companies last December.
Due to the demand for large-scale decarbonization solutions, Woodside will collaborate with Sumitomo Corporation, JFE Steel Corporation, Sumitomo Osaka Cement Co. and Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha under the agreement.
Woodside is also working with Kansai Electric Power (KEPCO) on a potential CCS value chain between Japan and Australia.
KEPCO intends to explore the capture and transport of CO2 emitted by its thermal power plants to Australia.
