Simon Allison, Vice President - Asia Pacific, Xodus.

Global energy consultancy Xodus has been awarded a contract to support the Offshore Western Kyushu carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, one of Japan’s first large-scale CCS initiatives.

According to Xodus, the project, backed by a consortium of Japanese energy firms, aims to capture and store approximately 1.7 million tons of CO2 per year from ENEOS’s oil refineries and J-POWER’s thermal power plants in the Setouchi and Kyushu regions. Captured emissions will be transported via ship and pipeline to offshore saline aquifers near Kyushu for permanent storage.

Xodus noted that it will work with the consortium comprising West Japan Carbon Dioxide Storage Survey (WEST), ENEOS Corporation (ENEOS), Electric Power Development (J-Power) and ENEOS Xplora to deliver the Offshore Western Kyushu CCS project.

Xodus will design the pipeline and cable geotechnical surveys for the development. The appointment follows the formal agreement of a consignment contract between the Consortium and Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC) – the Government of Japan’s incorporated administrative agency for energy and metals – earlier this fiscal year.

“We are proud to play a part in the delivery of this pioneering CCS initiative, which underscores our commitment to the region and to supporting Japan’s ambition to achieve net zero by 2050,” said Simon Allison, Vice President – Asia Pacific, Xodus.

“Xodus’ expertise in designing and specifying geotechnical surveys and procurement as well as CCS will be integral to the engineering design work that will ensure the success of Offshore Western Kyushu CCS. We have been providing longstanding support to Japanese investors’ CCS projects in Australia, and look forward to working with the Consortium team.”

JOGMEC has selected Offshore Western Kyushu CCS as one of nine projects under its Japanese Advanced CCS projects initiative. The contract award comes after Japan passed the Act on Carbon Dioxide Storage Business in May 2024, a legislative step toward commercial CCS deployment.

The feasibility study for the project is underway and is expected to conclude within the fiscal year. The next phase will include engineering design, exploratory drilling preparations, procurement of long-lead items, and further evaluation of storage potential.

“As part of this project we will draw on Xodus’ integrated team of experts across Asia-Pacific including Australian CCS experts and Japanese local staff, creating an offering that is tailored to the country’s unique characteristics,” said Celeste Koravos, Japan Country Manager of Xodus.

In October 2024, Japanese shipping major Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) was selected to study the use of ships to transport liquefied CO2 (LCO2) as part of a CCS development project off western Kyushu.