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According to Sinochem New Network, recently the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced the completion of the first international bidding round for its hydrogen price difference contract program. Two major projects for the import of low-carbon ammonia, led by JERA and Mitsui & Co., were successful in winning the bids, marking a key transition in Japan’s hydrogen strategy from domestic demonstration projects to the development of large-scale international supply chains. These two projects are planned to start after 2030, with approximately 772,000 tons of blue ammonia to be imported annually from Louisiana, United States. The project has received support in the form of 15-year price difference contracts totaling approximately $6.8 billion, funds that come from Japan’s hydrogen energy price support program, which amounts to $19.2 billion in total. The project will primarily rely on the Blue Point facility in Louisiana, USA, with a consortium of Japanese companies having secured over half of that facility’s production capacity. JERA’s hydrogen supply will be used for hybrid combustion power generation at its Hekinan Power Plant, while Mitsui & Co.’s hydrogen supply is primarily intended for Hokkaido Electric Power’s hybrid combustion projects and certain industrial customers. Industry analysis indicates that this tender, by linking the actual needs of industries such as electricity, cement, and chemicals, has created cross-sectoral synergies, laying a commercial foundation for the large-scale deployment of ammonia. Following the completion of this round of bidding, approximately 65% of the $19.2 billion in CFD funds available in Japan remains unallocated. Analysts predict that as Japan accelerates its procurement of low-carbon hydrogen, more international projects will receive support in the future.