Shikoku Electric Power Company, Taiyo Oil Company, Taiyo Nippon Sanso Company, Mazda Motor Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation, Namikata Terminal Company, and Mitsubishi Corporation Clean Energy have agreed to establish the "Council for utilizing Namikata Terminal as a Hub for introducing Fuel Ammonia" (hereinafter referred to as the "Council").

The Council, which Mitsubishi Corporation and Shikoku Electric Power Company serve as joint secretariats, shall study the possibility of turning the Namikata Terminal*¹ located in Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture, into a hub for clean energies.

Ehime Prefecture, Imabari City, Saijo City, Niihama City, and Shikokuchuo City will also participate in the Council as observers.

 

The Council’s agenda will include scheduling, legal and regulatory issues, efficient use of the terminal, measures to grow demand for fuel ammonia in the area and other issues, based on the assumption that the existing LPG tanks owned by Mitsubishi Cooperation at the terminal will be converted to ammonia tanks and that the terminal will become a hub handling approximately 1 million tonnes of ammonia per year by 2030.

 

Since the Government of Japan declared that Japan would realize carbon-neutrality by 2050, there have been growing expectations surrounding the potential of ammonia, which has numerous applications, including as a co-firing fuel at thermal power plants, a source of thermoelectricity in general industry, and a source of hydrogen via ammonia cracking technology at hydrogen stations*². Our belief is that the Namikata Terminal can play an important role as a supply hub to realize the establishment of an efficient supply chain of ammonia, in promoting the utilization of ammonia in the Shikoku and Chugoku regions.

 

The Namikata Terminal handles approximately 1 million tons of LPG and other petroleum products brought in from Japan and overseas each year. In addition to its four decades of experience as an energy hub, the terminal is equipped with several large-scale low-temperature LPG tanks (45,000 tons/unit) that can be converted to ammonia tanks, docking berths for large vessels and other facilities that can quickly respond to region's demand for ammonia.

 

The Council shall work to unite public and private interests to reestablish the Namikata Terminal as a clean energy hub, create new clean energy industries in the region and help the sustainable development of the local economy.

 

*¹ Some petroleum-related facilities of the terminal are owned by Taiyo Oil Company and the others are owned by Mitsubishi Corporation. Th terminal is operated by Namikata Terminal Company.

*² Technology to extract hydrogen from ammonia.

 

 

 

<Namikata Terminal>

＜Company Outlines and its Relationship with the Council>

 

 

 

Based on the Three Corporate Principles, which serve as MC’s core philosophy, MC has continued to grow together with society by contributing to the sustainable development of society through its business activities while pursuing value creation. MC’s revised “Materiality” was announced in Midterm Corporate Strategy 2024 as a set of crucial societal issues that MC will prioritize through its business activities, towards the strategy’s goal of continuous creation of MC Shared Value (MCSV). Guided by this Materiality, MC will continue to strengthen its efforts towards sustainable corporate growth. Out of the six material issues relating to “Realizing a Carbon Neutral Society and Striving to Enrich Society Both Materially and Spiritually”, this project’s activities particularly support “Contributing to Decarbonized Societies”“Promoting Stable, Sustainable Societies and Lifestyles” and “Addressing Regional Issues and Growing Together with Local Communities”.