Sumitomo Corporation and Tokyo Gas team up for hydrogen experiment in Japan

The Government of Japan has set a goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, and aims to supply more than 420 000 tpy of clean hydrogen. Hydrogen produced by water electrolysers using electricity derived from renewable sources of energy is considered to be green hydrogen and a trump card for carbon-free societies in that no CO₂ emissions are produced during its production process. Furthermore, the upscaling of water electrolysers is attracting worldwide attention as players aim to reduce green hydrogen production costs and boost efficiencies.

This demonstration will be verifying the operation of ITM Power's large water electrolyser. This is the first operational verification to be carried out in Japan on a foreign-made large water electrolyser. Sumitomo Corporation plans to deliver a 2.0 MW-class water electrolyser, with its hydrogen discharge pressure adjusted from the product’s standard specification of 2 MPa to less than 1 MPa to comply with Japanese domestic regulations, to Tokyo Gas Yokohama Techno Station in June 2022 and start a joint demonstration of the electrolyser. Tokyo Gas will install the water electrolyser and operate it under various operating conditions to understand the performance of the latest-generation water electrolysers, and to accumulate know-how on the introduction of large water electrolysers, including on equipment operation and construction of related facilities. The hydrogen produced will be used for the research and development of hydrogen utilisation at Tokyo Gas Yokohama Techno Station with the aim of achieving decarbonisation. The results from this demonstration will be shared by the two companies and utilised for future business development.

Hajime Mori, Executive Officer, Energy Division General Manager, Energy Innovation Initiative Director, Sumitomo Corporation, said:

“Sumitomo Corporation entered into a strategic partnership with ITM Power in 2018 and has been working to introduce the company’s polymer electrolyte membrane water electrolyser into the Japanese market. ITM Power's advanced and cost-competitive electrolysis technology is set to drive green hydrogen production projects in Japan that use large electrolysers. At Sumitomo Corporation, we will continue to accelerate our efforts to build a hydrogen-based society with the aim of achieving carbon neutrality in 2050 and realising sustainable energy cycles.”

Hisataka Yakabe, Executive Officer, General Manager of Hydrogen & Carbon Management Technology Strategy Department, Digital Innovation Division, Tokyo Gas, said:

“At the Tokyo Gas Group, we are strengthening our technological development for decarbonising gas-state sources of energy in order to fulfil our ‘Challenge to Achieve Net Zero CO2’ that we set forth in our management vision ‘Compass 2030.’ Through this demonstration, we will accumulate operational know-how on large water electrolysers, accelerate their social implementation in combination with the development of direct hydrogen utilisation and methanation technologies, and contribute to achieving the government's goal of ‘realising a carbon-neutral, decarbonised society by 2050.’”

 

Graham Cooley, CEO, ITM Power, said:

“It is an honour for us to deploy our first electrolyser in Japan with Tokyo Gas. Together with our partner Sumitomo Corporation, we are looking forward to demonstrating how PEM electrolysis can make a major contribution to decarbonising industry and energy in Japan. This megawatt scale product at the laboratory of such a prestigious customer will help us to become better known in the key Japanese market.”

Specifications of the water electrolyser

• Model: HGas3SP.
• Electrolyser technology: Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM).
• Hydrogen production: 30.9 kg/hr.
• Power supply: 2.0 MW.
• System packaging and size: 40-ft container and a Chiller/air blast.

 

 

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