A spherical tank is reported to be hiding in a port in western Japan, which may soon carry the country's energy future.
The import terminal in Kobe plans to transport hydrogen for the first time in March this year. As the world's fifth largest emitter of pollution, the country is looking for ways to replace heavy fossil fuels, and has reached a commitment to achieve greenhouse gas neutralization by 2050, which is expected to increase exponentially over the next 30 years.
According to Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., Japan's only hydrogen supply chain developer, the big shift will require Japan to use a dedicated fleet of tankers to import fuel. It will also provide a boost to emerging industries, which could meet nearly a quarter of global energy demand by the middle of the century, according to the estimates of Bloomberg.
"Hydrogen is indispensable to achieving Japan's zero emission goal," said yoshihihiko Nishimura, director of the khi hydrogen project development center, in an interview. "Renewable energy alone is not enough to meet the country's huge energy needs. "
Although many countries are making great efforts to develop wind, solar and batteries to get rid of dependence on fossil fuels and deal with climate change, this is a challenge for densely populated Japan.
According to bnef, hydrogen has the greatest decarbonization potential in hard to cut industries such as steel, cement and heavy transport. This is particularly important as the world's fifth largest emitter of greenhouse gases is moving towards net zero emissions.
To be sure, hydrogen has created a dilemma in the transformation of clean energy, because hydrogen production from fossil fuels is still cheaper than that from renewable energy sources. However, as solar and wind costs fall, the European Union and South Korea are betting that hydrogen from renewable sources will become more economical.
Shin FURUNO, a senior Asian investor at the Asia climate change investment organization, said that up to $425 billion would be needed if hydrogen was to meet 40% of Japan's energy needs. According to his estimate, the investment in South Korea's hydrogen roadmap is 136 billion US dollars, which will reach 20% of its energy demand by 2050.
The shift to hydrogen will echo Japan's development of the LNG industry more than 50 years ago. At that time, Japan invested heavily in imported infrastructure and became a key buyer of many export projects.
Khi is eager to get started. It is building a global supply chain, producing hydrogen from lignite in Australia, building ships and tanks, and hydrogen fueled power generation facilities for power generation and heating.
Nishimura said that in order to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, Japan will have to import 36 million tons of liquefied hydrogen, more than 100 times the expected import in 2030, when Japan will begin commercial utilization of liquefied hydrogen.
Source: Chemical Network
