Jera—a joint venture between Japanese utilities Tokyo Electric Power and Chubu Electric Power—will receive a state grant for a pilot project to burn hydrogen at a natural gas-fired power plant in Japan.

The project will initially blend low percentages of hydrogen with natural gas at an unnamed large-scale plant during a test phase from October 2021 to March 2025.

“Jera aims to reduce its use of fossil fuels and to develop ‘zero-emission thermal power’ that emits no CO₂ during generation by using hydrogen and ammonia as fuel,” the firm says.

Following the results of the pilot project, Jera hopes to construct hydrogen supply facilities at other natural gas-fired power plants, will the goal of eventually replacing 30pc of the natural gas it uses to generate power with hydrogen. The firm operates 26 power plants across Japan.

30pc – Proportion of natural gas to be replaced with hydrogen

Jera has a goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.

In a separate announcement, Japanese utility Kansai Electric Power announced this week that it will co-fire hydrogen at a natural gas-fired power plant in Japan during a trial period from 2021-2026.

The firm also has a commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

A number of Japanese firms are signing agreements to begin establishing a hydrogen supply chain in Australia.

The Australia-Japan route is viewed as one of the most likely hydrogen export routes to develop. Japan has more than a hundred hydrogen refuelling stations and is looking to increase imports for power generation, while Australia has the landmass and hours of sunshine suitable for hydrogen production from solar power.

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Author: Tom Young