Ammonia in power generation
AdnanMahfuz Tazvir
JERA , Japan’s largest power producer, is set to increase its use of ammonia in power generation. To that end, the company plans to spend 597 million USD on the development of ammonia technology.
During an interrogation, JERA informed this in a statement recently. The Green Innovation Fund of the Government of Japan will fund about 70 percent of the project.
The report mentioned that ammonia is mainly used as a raw material in urea fertilizers’ production and industrial materials. Nevertheless, the importance of hydrogen and ammonia as a source of fuel in the future is immense.
This is because ammonia in power generation does not emit carbon dioxide. However, like other fossil fuels, ammonia production emits greenhouse gases.
According to the interrogation, the company has planned three new projects. The two goals are to use 50 percent ammonia with coal in power plants by March 2029. Another project aims to create new catalysts for ammonia synthesis by 2031.
Last year, a small amount of ammonia was used with coal as part of an effort to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions at the JERA’s Hekinan Thermal Power Station in central Japan. Another Tokyo-based company, IHI Corporation, is involved in the investigation.
The project will run till 2025. The power plant, which produces 1-gigawatt electricity, uses 20 percent ammonia with coal. However, JERA and IHI Corporation are hopeful that the target will be increased to 50 percent by March 2029 within 8-year.
The two Tokyo-based power companies TEPCO and Chubu are working on another joint venture. In addition, the company will conduct similar projects with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
They set a goal to increase the use of ammonia in power generation at two Mitsubishi Power to 50 percent by March 2029.
