ABB has been selected by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. to supply its ABB Ability System 800xA distributed control system (DCS) for the Kawasaki LH2 Terminal in Ogishima, about 30 kilometers south of Tokyo — a landmark facility designed to scale liquefied hydrogen handling from pilot projects to commercial operations.

 

The terminal is expected to complete its demonstration phase by 2030 and is set to become a key piece of Japan’s push to establish an international liquefied hydrogen supply chain.

 

Operated by Japan Suiso Energy, Ltd. and supported by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) through its Green Innovation Fund, the Liquefied Hydrogen Supply Chain Commercialization Demonstration project will feature a 50,000 m³ liquefied hydrogen storage tank, alongside facilities for cargo handling, liquefaction, hydrogen gas supply and lorry dispatch.

 

Once operational, the terminal will receive, store and distribute imported liquefied hydrogen safely and at scale. ABB’s System 800xA will bring process control, safety and operational data together on a single platform, giving operators greater visibility and enabling faster, more informed decisions across the facility.

 

ABB will supply System 800xA integrated with a SIL 3 safety instrumented system (SIS), creating a unified environment for process control, safety and plant-wide operational oversight. The system will include redundant AC 800M controllers and critical server infrastructure designed to strengthen availability, support data management and help maintain continuous operations.

 

The redundant architecture is designed to reduce operational complexity while improving reliability across critical terminal processes — from liquefaction and storage to loading, unloading and dispatch. It will also help maintain stable operations if individual equipment becomes unavailable.

 

"Japan’s hydrogen ambitions depend on infrastructure that can operate safely, reliably and efficiently at commercial scale," said Tetsuo Miura, Vice President of ABB’s Energy Industries division in Japan. "By bringing automation control, safety and operational insight together, we are proud to support the operations at Kawasaki LH2 Terminal as Japan takes an important step toward building a future-ready hydrogen supply chain."

 

Liquefied hydrogen could play a significant role in transporting hydrogen over long distances, reducing its volume to approximately 1/800 of its gaseous state. For Japan, which is seeking to build an international hydrogen supply chain and transition toward a low-carbon energy system, dependable terminal infrastructure will be critical to making that network commercially viable and scalable.

 

ABB’s involvement also builds on its work on the Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain pilot, where it supplied control and safety systems for the Hy touch Kobe receiving terminal led by HySTRA.

 

The Kawasaki LH2 Terminal marks a further step toward commercial-scale hydrogen infrastructure, extending ABB’s involvement in Japan’s hydrogen development and supporting Kawasaki’s efforts to establish hydrogen as a viable energy carrier for Japan and international markets.