Japanese firms to study LCO2 transport by ship for CCS project off Kyushu

Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) is collaborating with three other Japanese firms to study liquefied CO2 (LCO2) transport by vessel for a carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) project off Kyushu coast in Japan.

PHOTO: Japanese firms’ LCO2 transport vessel and storage concept. MOL

Other parties involved in the project are energy companies ENEOS Corporation and J-Power, and JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration Corporation.

The project has been commissioned by a Japanese government organisation - Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC).

The study will evaluate “the voyage plan, estimate marine transport costs, and identify risks and issues related to the use of a liquefied CO2 carrier,” MOL says.

Since CO2 is a gas at normal atmospheric pressure and temperatures, it needs to be compressed or liquified to transport it over long distances without taking up too much space on vessels.

LCO2 is usually stored at extremely low temperatures of around -30°C to remain in a liquid state. At ambient temperatures, LCO2 can expand rapidly back to a gaseous state, causing containers to explode from pressure.

The project will see a LCO2 carrier collect CO2 emissions from J-Power's thermal power plants and ENEOS' refineries in Western Japan and then store it in potential storage sites off northern to western Kyushu coast.

The CCS project off the Kyushu coast is anticipated to have an annual CO2 storage capacity of 3 million mt. The study is in sync with JOGMEC’s aim of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. It will also “contribute to the start of domestic CCS by FY2030,” MOL adds.

By Tuhin Roy

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