INPEX Commences Ammonia Production And Supply At Kashiwazaki Hydrogen Park As Part Of Integrated Blue Hydrogen And Ammonia Production And Utilization Demonstration Project In Niigata, Japan

INPEX CORPORATION (INPEX) announced that it has commenced ammonia production as part of its Integrated Blue Hydrogen and Ammonia Production and Utilization Demonstration Project (the “Demonstration Project”) being conducted in Kashiwazaki City, Niigata Prefecture, and began supplying the ammonia to Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, Inc. (MGC).

The Demonstration Project is the first in Japan to integrate the entire hydrogen and ammonia value chain, from production through utilization, involving hydrogen and ammonia as clean energy sources that do not emit CO_₂ during use. With the commencement of ammonia production and supply, INPEX has achieved integrated demonstration operations covering the process from hydrogen production through ammonia production. By acquiring knowledge related to the production and supply of hydrogen and ammonia, INPEX will utilize the findings from the Demonstration Project in optimization studies for future large-scale low-carbon solution businesses.

The feedstock gas used to produce hydrogen, and ammonia is domestically produced natural gas from the Minami-Nagaoka Gas Field operated by INPEX in Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture. CO_₂ generated as a by-product during the production process is injected into a subsurface reservoir in the Hirai area of the Higashi-Kashiwazaki Gas Field, where gas production has already ceased, as part of a carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS^¹) initiative, thereby reducing atmospheric CO_₂ emissions.

The Demonstration Project produces ammonia from hydrogen using a low-temperature, lowpressure ammonia synthesis technology developed by Tsubame BHB Co., Ltd. (the “Technology”). Using a proprietary electride catalyst^², the Technology enables highly efficient ammonia synthesis under lower-temperature and lower-pressure conditions than the conventional Haber-Bosch process^³. This is expected to enable more compact facilities and reduce the energy required for ammonia production. The Technology also enables on-site production near areas of demand and is expected to play an important role in helping realize decentralized ammonia supply in the future.

The hydrogen and ammonia production facilities and CO_₂ capture processes of the Demonstration Project are being implemented under a subsidized project adopted by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) as part of its program entitled “Development of Technologies for Fuel Ammonia Production and Utilization / Technology Development for Blue Ammonia Production.”

The implementation and evaluation of geological CO_₂ storage are being carried out under a joint research project with the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC) entitled “Demonstration Project to Assess CO_₂ Storage Capacity in Depleted Oil and Gas Fields in Japan for Decarbonization through Natural Gas Utilization and Related Initiatives.

In February 2025, INPEX announced INPEX Vision 2035, which envisages the realization of a “Responsible Energy Transition.” Under the vision, INPEX aims to expand the provision of lowcarbon solutions centered on CCS and hydrogen by 2035. The Demonstration Project represents an important initiative toward achieving this objective. Through the project, INPEX will continue to advance efforts to help realize a carbon-neutral society.

¹ Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage: A technology for capturing, storing, and utilizing carbon dioxide.

² Electride catalyst: An ammonia synthesis catalyst incorporating an electride, or electron-containing compound, that enables ammonia synthesis under low-temperature and low-pressure conditions.

³ Haber-Bosch process: The conventional industrial process for synthesizing ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen. It is the predominant ammonia production technology and operates under high-temperature and high-pressure conditions.