Japan eyes 12mn t/yr of hydrogen supply in 2040

Japan plans to set a new target for the country’s hydrogen supply in 2040, to further spur usage of the fuel and achieve its carbon neutral goal by 2050.

The proposed hydrogen target for 2040 is 12mn t/yr, sixfold that of the current target of 2mn t/yr, according to a draft framework to revise the country’s hydrogen strategy which was revealed at a ministerial meeting on 4 April.

Japan has already set a goal of 3mn t/yr in 2030 and 20mn t/yr in 2050. The intermediate 2040 target is aimed at establishing a more stable investment environment and driving more investments in hydrogen-related projects.

The revised strategy will also include Japan’s new target for Japanese companies to introduce water electrolysis facilities with a total capacity of around 15GW globally by 2030, which would account for around 10pc of the international capacity projected for the same year.

A total of ¥15 trillion ($112.9bn) will be invested by the public and private sectors over the next 15 years to establish large-scale hydrogen and ammonia supply chains, with commercial utilisation expected to begin in around 2030, the draft plan showed.

Japan is currently reviewing its basic hydrogen strategy, which was crated in 2017, to reflect recent changes in the global energy landscape. This was especially after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and rising pressure to realise a net-zero society.