Four Japanese companies, namely ENEOS, JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration Corporation, J-POWER, and the West Japan Carbon Dioxide Storage Survey, have signed a consignment contract with the Japan Organisation for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC) for the development of a 1.7 MtCO2/year carbon capture and storage (CCS) project off Japan’s south-western island of Kyushu.
The Offshore Western Kyushu CCS project aims to conduct engineering design work for the CCS value chain, as well as exploratory drilling in the planned CO2 storage site. The project is focused on capturing and storing CO2 sourced from ENEOS’s oil refineries and J-POWER’s thermal power plants in the Setouchi and Kyushu regions. The captured CO2 will be transported via ship and pipeline to offshore saline aquifers in Western Kyushu for permanent storage. Following a feasibility study completed in fiscal year 2023, the project now enters its next phase, which notably involves engineering design and exploratory drilling preparations.
Earlier in October 2024, JOGMEC also signed a contract with three Japanese companies to develop an up to 2 MtCO2/year CCS project in Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido.
The development of CCS is part of Japan's goal to reach carbon neutrality in 2050.