The Tomakomai CCS project in Hokkaido, Japan, has progressed with the spudding of its first exploration well by Japan Petroleum Exploration. This drilling aims to confirm suitable geological formations for carbon dioxide storage.

Project Scope and Participants

The project is designed to capture CO2 from Idemitsu Kosan's Hokkaido refinery and Hokkaido Electric Power Company's Tomato-Atsuma power station for subsequent transport, injection, and storage by Japex. The partners, along with the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security, have a contract for the project's design work, targeting an annual storage capacity of 1.5 to 2 million tonnes by 2030.

Engineering and Design Progress

Significant engineering work is underway across the project chain:

• Idemitsu and HEPCO have performed basic engineering for CO2 separation and capture equipment at their respective sites.
• Japex has conducted basic engineering for the pipelines and equipment needed to transport CO2 from the emission sources to the candidate offshore storage site.
• Japex has also completed basic engineering for the injection and monitoring equipment required for the deep saline formations in the Tomakomai sea area.

Future Timeline and Strategic Importance

A final investment decision for the project is anticipated within the 2026 fiscal year, contingent on positive results from the exploration drilling. The project is viewed as an indispensable technology for decarbonizing thermal power and hard-to-abate sectors, contributing to Japan's carbon neutrality goals.

Related Carbon Capture Facility

In a related development, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has been awarded a contract by HEPCO for the front-end engineering and design of a carbon capture plant at the Tomato-Atsuma power station. Utilizing proprietary technology, MHI will investigate main equipment specifications for a facility designed to capture 5,200 tonnes of CO2 per day, which is expected to become Japan's largest CO2 capture plant upon completion.