Japan's Okinawa Elec plans to trial using hydrogen at gas-fired power plant

Okinawa Electric Power

17/11/2023 11:13

TOKYO, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Japan's Okinawa Electric Power
 9511.T  plans to start co-firing hydrogen on a trial basis at a
commercial gas-fired power plant from March in a bid to reduce
carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, its president said on Friday.
        The utility aims to achieve a hydrogen co-firing rate of
30% at the 35 megawatt (MW) unit of its Yoshinoura thermal power
station in the southern island of Okinawa. The trial is 
scheduled to run until sometime between April and September.
    "The establishment of hydrogen co-firing technology is a key
initiative that can help us achieve two goals: expanding
renewable energy and slashing CO2 emissions," President Hiroyuki
Motonaga told reporters.
    The company plans to use the hydrogen by-product of local
chemical plants as well as compressed hydrogen, it said.
    If the trial is successful, the utility will consider
co-firing hydrogen on a regular basis, Motonaga said.
    More than 90% of Okinawa Electric's power sources are fossil
fuels, mainly coal, and there is no nuclear or hydroelectric
power due to geographical and topographical constraints.
    The company aims to reduce its emissions by 30% from 2005
levels by 2030 by cutting coal usage and boosting the use of LNG
and renewable energy.
    Japanese utilities are trying to slash CO2 emissions by
mixing hydrogen and ammonia with fossil fuels in thermal power
stations, but these new fuels are significantly more costly and
have drawn criticism from climate activists who say it is a way
to extend the usage of more polluting fossil fuels.

 (Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; editing by Miral Fahmy)
 ((Yuka.Obayashi@thomsonreuters.com; +813-4520-1265;))