Japan & Australia to partner on hydrogen supply for energy shift

Japan announced the launch of a hydrogen supply chain with Australia as the two countries and Southeast Asian nations gathered for their first ministerial meeting on the reduction of carbon emissions in the fast-growing region.

In a video message for the meeting on the Asia Zero Emission Community framework, an initiative proposed by Japan, Fumio Kishida said he would like to expand hydrogen supply chain networks throughout the region by cooperating further with Asian nations.

“In Asia, we should hold as many energy options as possible, and hydrogen and ammonia are options,” he said, underscoring hydrogen could be a valuable source of energy in making clean energy transitions, especially in a region prone to natural disasters.

In a joint statement issued after the one-day meeting in Tokyo, a total of 11 nations joining AZEC said they “recognize that accelerating the energy transition in the Asian region is key to achieve the goals” of the Paris international accord to tackle climate change.

Japan is pitching new decarbonization technologies, such as using hydrogen and ammonia in thermal power generation and carbon dioxide capture. It has also called for carbon neutrality while securing a stable energy supply amid an energy crisis triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Hydrogen and ammonia can play a significant role in cutting emissions from thermal power generation, the transportation sector and industries that heavily depend on fossil fuel, according to the Japanese government.

The bilateral hydrogen supply chain will connect the Australian state of Victoria and Kawasaki, a city located southwest of Tokyo in the Keihin industrial zone, according to Japanese officials.