Increasing numbers of Japanese industrial companies are seeking to export carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to Southeast Asian nations for underground storage, says a report from Kyodo News.
Over a dozen projects are said to be ‘in the works’ according to the outlet, with the activity coming as the Japanese government promotes carbon capture and storage (CCS) and sets a goal of putting the technology into practical use by 2030.
The report cites Mitsubishi Corp., Eneos Corp., and two other companies as studying a project to liquefy CO2 emitted from thermal power plants and oil factories in the Tokyo Bay area and ship it to Malaysia for storage there.
Up to three million tonnes of CO2 is expected to be captured annually under the project, which the companies aim to start by fiscal 2030.
Other companies and projects mentioned in the report include:
- Chubu Electric Power Co., based in Nagoya in central Japan – feasibility study stage, for storage in Indonesia
- Sumitomo Corp. and JFE Steel Corp. – feasibility study stage, to aggregate CO2 from the Setouchi and Shikoku regions and transport to Australia for storage.
- Various companies – considering project to store CO2 in the Asia-Pacific region.
