Is "ammonia" the trump card for decarbonization?

July 26, 18:36

"Ammonia" is now attracting attention as the next-generation energy.

Many people may remember that they had a pungent odor in science experiments, but they burn without emitting carbon dioxide.

And Japan is leading the world in this ammonia technology.

Whether it will be a trump card for decarbonization, we will approach the actual situation.

(Economics Department Reporter Nishizono Kouki)

Four quad countries agree on "ammonia technology development"

On July 13th, the first meeting of the Minister of Energy of Quad, the framework of the four countries of Japan, the United States, Australia and India, was held in Sydney, Australia.

In response to the tightening situation in Ukraine, discussions were held on how to stably procure LNG = liquefied natural gas, but the Japanese government focused on "ammonia".

The four countries agreed to cooperate in the development and dissemination of next-generation energy technologies such as ammonia, which does not emit carbon dioxide when burned.

Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Hagiuda

"At the stage of last year, there were some people who looked coldly about ammonia, but we could share the recognition that we will use it firmly among the four countries. Each country has more ammonia than we think. I understood the importance and was able to discuss how to jointly promote future research and development. "

What is amazing "ammonia"

Ammonia does not contain carbon, so it does not emit carbon dioxide when burned.

In addition, since it is already used for fertilizer, transportation and storage technologies have been established, and procurement costs can be reduced accordingly.

Japan, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to virtually zero by 2050, has been steadily advancing technological development by paying attention to these characteristics of ammonia from an early stage.

We are currently focusing on the development of "co-firing technology" that mixes ammonia with coal and burns it at an existing coal-fired power plant.

Zero greenhouse gas emissions cannot be achieved on a step-by-step basis.

Even in order to increase power generation from renewable energy such as solar power and wind power, there are only a limited number of suitable locations in Japan, which has a small land area.

Therefore, by mixing ammonia with coal to generate electricity, we are trying to reduce carbon dioxide.

Japan in developed countries of ammonia

Efforts to utilize ammonia at coal-fired power plants are being accelerated by Japan's largest power generation company, JERA, in which TEPCO and Chubu Electric Power have invested.

At the Hekinan Thermal Power Station in Aichi Prefecture, we are planning to start a demonstration experiment in which 20% of ammonia is mixed with coal and burned by the end of next year.

Last summer, the company set up a specialized department to procure ammonia.

From the latter half of the 2020s, we will procure up to 500,000 tons of ammonia annually from overseas.

Mr. Otaki

"Ammonia can disperse suppliers and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. We want to create an ammonia supply network that can provide a stable supply of electricity while ensuring economic efficiency."

Research and development with an eye on the future is also progressing.

In June, a major machinery manufacturer, IHI, announced that it had succeeded in generating electricity with a gas turbine using only ammonia as fuel.

According to the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, it is the first time in the world to generate electricity using only ammonia as fuel.

It is said that it was able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 99% compared to the case of burning fossil fuels, and is aiming for practical use in 2025, three years later.

According to estimates by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, if 20% of each coal-fired power plant owned by a major domestic electric power company can be mixed with ammonia, carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced by about 40 million tons.

This is one tenth of the carbon dioxide emitted in Japan during power generation.

How to clear the task

However, there are challenges to the spread of ammonia.

First, ammonia does not emit carbon dioxide when burned, but it does emit nitrogen oxides, which are harmful substances.

For this reason, domestic companies and research institutes are rushing to develop technologies to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions.

The other is how to supply ammonia in a stable manner.

Currently, most of the ammonia produced is used as a raw material for fertilizer.

Furthermore, when it is used for power generation, it is expected that production will not be able to keep up.

Therefore, the issue is how to procure in large quantities from overseas.

And the final issue is how to make ammonia.

Ammonia does not emit carbon dioxide when burned, but in fact it uses fossil fuels during manufacturing, so it emits carbon dioxide there.

For this reason, it is also required to collect carbon dioxide emitted during the manufacturing process and bury it in the ground, and to use renewable energy that does not emit carbon dioxide.

Making the required friends

In addition to the technical aspect, how to gain international understanding for dissemination is also an issue.

This is because, although carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced, there are harsh opinions, especially in Europe, about continuing to use coal-fired power.

On the other hand, at the G7 = Climate, Energy and Environment Ministers' Meeting of the seven major countries held in May, the joint statement included the aim of promoting ammonia as the first next-generation energy source.

As Russia's invasion of Ukraine raises interest in energy security, it seems that the world has begun to realize the need to increase energy options.

First of all, Japan has a strategy of promoting "making friends" with countries that can cooperate in the production and procurement of ammonia.

On top of that, the key is to promote the spread in Southeast Asian countries.

There are many coal-fired power plants in Indonesia and Malaysia, and they are positioned as one of the major power sources.

Japan wants to expand its spread while appealing to these countries the merits of introducing ammonia as a decarbonization tool.

I would like to pay attention to whether it is possible to realize decarbonization by ammonia while strengthening the supply capacity of ammonia, expanding the countries that use it, and gaining the understanding of the international community.

Reporter of the Ministry of Economy

Nishizono Kouki

Joined the Bureau in 2014

After working at the Oita Bureau, the Ministry of Economy is

currently in charge of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the energy industry.