By: ICN Bureau
Last updated : October 20, 2026 8:36 pm
Construction is slated for completion by late 2028, with commercial demonstration operations scheduled to begin in 2030 following commissioning
Kawasaki Heavy Industries has broken ground on a new hydrogen liquefaction plant at its Kawasaki LH2 Terminal. Designed with a capacity of 50 tons per day, the facility will become the largest of its kind in Japan, vastly surpassing the country's current peak announced capacity of 15 tons per day. Construction is slated for completion by late 2028, with commercial demonstration operations scheduled to begin in 2030 following commissioning.
Built by Japan Suiso Energy, Ltd. (JSE) at the Kawasaki LH2 Terminal, this hydrogen liquefaction plant supports NEDO’s Green Innovation Fund Project. Specifically, it will be used for the "Liquefied Hydrogen Supply Chain Commercialization Demonstration" under the broader "Large-scale Hydrogen Supply Chain Establishment" initiative.
Liquid hydrogen occupies just 1/800th of its gaseous volume at -253°C, making it a highly efficient energy carrier for large-scale, long-distance transport and storage. At the heart of this process is the hydrogen liquefier, the core equipment responsible for cooling the gas to cryogenic temperatures. Consequently, the liquefier’s performance directly dictates the overall efficiency and reliability of the production plant.
To operate reliably in extreme cold, the Liquefier uses highly advanced design and manufacturing technologies. It houses complex parts like heat exchangers, expansion turbines, piping, and valves to maintain strict thermal insulation. This innovation is so economically and strategically vital that Japan named it a "key product and technology" within the 17 strategic fields of its national Growth Strategy. Consequently, this Plant will achieve one of the highest liquefaction efficiencies in the world for a facility of its size.
Pioneering hydrogen technology in Japan, Kawasaki developed a groundbreaking liquefier prototype in 2013. Just seven years later, in 2020, they made history as the first Japanese manufacturer to commercialize a hydrogen liquefier, capable of producing 5 tons of liquefied hydrogen every day.