Inpex launches FEED work for blue hydrogen project in Japan

Japan’s Inpex has commenced front-end engineering and design (FEED) work preparations for a blue hydrogen production project with commercial prospects in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, which will leverage the company’s gas fields and existing natural gas infrastructure.

The project involves plans to construct a hydrogen production plant with annual production capacity of approximately 100,000 tonnes that will receive its feedstock from Inpex’s Minami-Nagaoka gas field in the same prefecture as well as from liquefied natural gas imported at the operator’s Naoetsu terminal, which is mainly from its from Ichthys LNG project in Australia.

Inpex has already completed concept development and feasibility studies for the project.

The produced hydrogen is expected to be marketed to customers in Niigata Prefecture and neighbouring regions as fuel and raw material for power generation and heating applications.

Furthermore, carbon dioxide generated during the hydrogen production process will be captured and injected (as a carbon capture and storage (CCS) initiative) into depleting gas fields in Niigata Prefecture, enabling the hydrogen to be marketed and utilised as blue hydrogen, noted Inpex.

The operator said its project is one of the few in Japan that can both enhance national energy security and supply low-carbon energy through the large-scale production of blue hydrogen sourced from domestic gas. Inpex for more than 60 years has been involved in gas exploration and production in Niigata Prefecture, which also is home to its Naoetsu receiving and regasification terminal.