Japan has agreed with Abu Dhabi's state-owned Adnoc to co-operate in developing ammonia fuel and carbon recycling technology, as part of efforts to build a supply chain and secure stable supplies in the run-up to a decarbonised society by 2050.
Japan's trade and industry ministry (Meti) and Adnoc has signed a co-operation deal aimed to accelerate joint efforts in development of commercially feasible technology in fuel ammonia and carbon recycling. Meti and Adnoc are planning to explore business opportunities in these areas.
The signing took place during a virtual meeting held between Meti minister Hiroshi Kajiyama and Adnoc chief executive Sultan al-Jaber, also the UAE's minister of industry and advanced technology. Kajiyama also pledged to continue strengthening bilateral ties with the UAE through resource diplomacy, including fuel ammonia and hydrogen.
The UAE is Japan's second-largest crude supplier source after Saudi Arabia and accounts for around 30pc of its total oil imports.
Japan is planning to expand ammonia use for power generation under its 2050 decarbonisation strategy. Meti has a plan to start testing co-firing of ammonia at a commercial coal-fired power generation unit during the April 2021-March 2022 fiscal year, aiming to achieve a 20pc co-firing rate. The co-firing rate is targeted to be further expanded towards 2050, while the government will also look to develop ammonia-fired gas turbine technology.
Japanese firms and state energy agency Jogmec last month launched a feasibility study to develop an ammonia supply chain in Russia's Siberia. Japan last year imported the world's first shipment of blue ammonia from Saudi Arabia, produced from natural gas, under a joint project between state-controlled Saudi Aramco, its petrochemicals affiliate Sabic and Japanese energy think-tank IEEJ.
