Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has launched operations of Nagasaki Carbon Neutral Park, a centre dedicated to development of MHI Group’s energy decarbonisation technologies. Located in Nagasaki city, the new base will be progressively expanded over the coming years. Nagasaki Carbon Neutral Park will undertake development mainly of fuel production, combustion and CO2 capture technologies at existing research facilities at the Nagasaki District Research & Innovation Centre which are currently dedicated to production of hydrogen and biomass fuels, ammonia combustion and CO2 capture.

In the area of hydrogen production, development will focus on next-generation technologies such as advanced water electrolysers that operate by solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOEC), and so-called ‘turquoise’ hydrogen produced by pyrolysis of methane into hydrogen and solid carbon. Key technologies developed at Nagasaki Carbon Neutral Park will subsequently undergo hydrogen production demonstration at Takasago Hydrogen Park, as well as demonstration of power generation in combination with a hydrogen gas turbine.

In the area of biomass fuel production, development will target commercialisation of synthetic fuel production facilities, including sustainable aviation fuels produced by biomass gasification integrated Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. In the area of ammonia combustion, testing will be performed using an actual size burner of a large-scale combustion test furnace located within the Nagasaki district, with plans calling for co-firing with at least 50% ammonia demonstration testing at a power plant in 2024 or soon thereafter.