Japanese chemicals firm Resonac will convert the fuel for in-house power generation at one of its key sites to natural gas and hydrogen after securing funding from Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).

The Kawasaki Plant currently operates two in-house power generation systems (boilers and turbines) primarily fueled by petroleum coke. Under the government-funded “Support Project for Energy and Manufacturing Process Conversion in Hard-to-Abate Industries”, one system will be decommissioned and replaced with a 30–40MW city gas/hydrogen co-firing gas turbine. Operations are scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2030.

Resonac’s long-term vision targets a 30% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030 compared with 2013 levels. The Kawasaki Plant is the largest emission site and accounts for approximately 50% of the company’s domestic GHG emissions. The new unit is expected to be operative in 2030 and will generate up to 210GWh annually, covering around 40% of the site’s power consumption. Emissions are expected to reduce by up to 254,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.

The company says a portion of the electricity generated at the Kawasaki Plant will be supplied to its core growth business—semiconductor materials manufacturing sites, mainly in the Kanto region. This, it says, “will help meet the environmental needs of global semiconductor industry customers, contribute to GHG emission reductions across the supply chain, and further strengthen competitiveness in domestic growth industries. “

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