Woodside Petroleum is exploring the possibility to establish an ammonia supply chain between Australia and Japan in a partnership with Japan Oil, Gas & Metals National Corp. (Jogmec), Marubeni, Hokuriku Electric Power Co., and Kansai Electric Power Co.
The partnership follows an agreement Woodside inked with IHI Corp. and Marubeni earlier this year, which aims to explore exporting ammonia from Australia to Japan produced from renewable hydropower in Tasmania.
The research is set to include the production of clean fuel ammonia in Australia from blue hydrogen utilizing natural gas with carbon dioxides abatement methods. It will also study marine transportation of ammonia to Japan, the utilization of ammonia as a fuel for power generation and marine use, as well as financing.
For Japan, this movement would mean a push for its Green Growth Strategy which acknowledges ammonia as a key factor to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
Last week, in a joint statement at the Australia-Japan Ministerial Economic Dialogue, the two countries reiterated their aim to make zero-emissions technology globally scalable and commercially viable to accelerate the global drive to carbon neutrality.
They prioritize the efforts to boost initiatives on carbon capture and storage (CCS), clean hydrogen, as well as clean fuel ammonia.
