The 2023 Japan Currents Houston Conference was held on Friday, February 24, at the Petroleum Club of Houston.
In June 2019, the Cabinet Office of the Japanese government revealed its "Integrated Innovation Strategy" towards net-zero, which outlined expectations for ammonia's potential and set a national target on introduction of ammonia as CO2-free energy.
Since this time, Japanese companies have been pursuing new business opportunities and forging new partnerships to build out the ammonia value chain. 2022 proved to be a very significant year for ammonia-related initiatives .
JERA Co. announced plans to issue international tenders to buy up to 500,000 mt/year of fuel ammonia. Mitsubishi Corporation announced it was studying the development of a plant to integrate green and blue ammonia production in the port of Corpus Christi. JGC Corporation announced that it had awarded Houston-based engineering firm KBR a contract for its green ammonia technology. Moreover, Mitsui & Co., Ltd. and CF Industries Holdings, Inc., the world's largest producer of ammonia, announced their intention to jointly develop a greenfield ammonia production facility in the U.S. Gulf Coast region.
Through Japan Currents Houston Conference 2023, JASH made a case for ammonia by highlighting how Japanese and American companies are collaborating in the development of a framework for ammonia that will impact the future of ammonia as fuel worldwide.
The presentations, as well as the discussions that followed, made clear the potential of ammonia and the importance of the U.S.-Japan bilateral collaborations in creating a framework for ammonia to move projects forward.
Shigeru MURAKI, President of the Clean Fuel Ammonia Association, answered the question “Why ammonia?” He described the key technologies of ammonia utilization, highlighted various U.S.-Japan ammonia collaborations, and discussed government support for clean hydrogen and ammonia in Japan.
Ashraf MALIK and Tetsu YOSHIDA, while sharing the missions of their respective companies, discussed how a demand for low-carbon ammonia is emerging and addressed how this demand can be met with both green and blue ammonia. The planned Mitsui-CF Industry project will pave the way for a clean fuel ammonia value chain and support global transition to a clean energy economy.
EMCEE
Patsy BROWN
Executive Director, Japan-America Society of Houston
PRESENTATIONS
Shigeru MURAKI*
President, Clean Fuel Ammonia Association; Regional Vice Chair, Asia Pacific and South Asia, World Energy Council
US Japan Collaboration toward Carbon Neutrality through Clean Fuel Ammonia Supply Chain
Ashraf MALIK*
SVP, Manufacturing and Distribution, CF Industries
CF Industries Overview
Tetsu YOSHIDA*
SVP, Chemicals Division, Mitsui & Co. (USA), Inc.
Mitsui’s Strategies for a Sustainable Clean Ammonia Supply Chain
*view bios here
SPONSORS
This conference, made possible with support from The Embassy of Japan in Washington D.C. and the National Association of Japan America Societies (NAJAS), provides the Houston-Harris County community with the opportunity to explore impact of U.S-Japan energy partnerships on our area.
