TOKYO, Mar 31, 2023 - (JCN Newswire) - Osaka Gas Co., Ltd. (Osaka Gas) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) have entered into an agreement to conduct a feasibility study on a project to develop a CO2 value chain for CCUS (Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage), including transporting CO2 captured in Japan to overseas, utilizing it to produce e-methane, synthetic gas produced through methanation, and storing it underground.

The project aims to establish an efficient CO2 value chain, leveraging Osaka Gas's know-how on e-methane production and CO2 storage and MHI's expertise in CO2 capture, liquefied CO2 maritime vessel transport, and CO2 management.

To that end, the project partners will examine methods to capture CO2 emitted from the Hard-to-Abate industries, such as steel, cement, and chemicals, and transport liquefied CO2 using ships. Osaka Gas and MHI will conduct a feasibility study on the entire CCUS scheme, including CO2 utilization for e-methane and underground sequestration, in corporation with companies from a wide variety of industries.

The project also plans to expand its CCUS scheme through the trade and transfer of CCUS's environmental value quantified by CO2NNEX, a digital platform under development by MHI and IBM Japan for visualizing CO2 value chain.

Through this project, Osaka Gas and MHI aim to contribute to achieving a carbon neutral society by 2050, combining the two companies' technologies developed to meet their respective goals for net zero emissions.