Hazer, Chubu Electric and Chiyoda Join forces for first Hazer facility in Japan

Ultimate target hydrogen production capacity of up to 100,000 tpa, with an initial capacity between 2,500 and 10,000 tpa

Chiyoda Corporation (Chiyoda) has signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (‘MOU’) with Chubu Electric Power Company, a global energy supply company, and Hazer Group, an Australian hydrogen technology company, to jointly prepare a Project Development Plan for a Hazer production facility in the Chubu region in Japan.

Under the MOU, Hazer, Chubu Electric and Chiyoda have agreed to work collaboratively to prepare the Project Development Plan for a clean hydrogen and graphitic carbon production hub (‘the Project’) in the Chubu region of Japan, based on Hazer’s proprietary technology.

Chubu Electric plans to use of the produced hydrogen as a fuel for power generation, and other hard to abate industries, as well as mobility, in the Nagoya area.

The production facility will have a target ultimate hydrogen production capacity of between 50,000 and 100,000 tonne per annum (tpa), to be achieved in stages. The initial hydrogen production capacity is planned to be between 2,500 and 10,000 tonne per annum.

Hazer, Chubu Electric and Chiyoda will form a Project Group for the development and implementation of the Project. The Project Group is considering graphite offtake opportunities.

The parties have agreed to complete the Project Development Plan by 2024, with an aim to commence the initial start-up of the facility in the late 2020s. 

Kouji Sada, General Manager of Electric Power Research and Development Center of Chubu Electric, said: “Chubu Electric Power Group is firmly committed to decarbonisation of its operations and that of our customers. We believe the Hazer technology offers an attractive solution to locally produce low carbon hydrogen, using our existing supply chains and infrastructure.”

Norimasa Matsuoka, Senior Vice President, Frontier Business Division of Chiyoda, said: “Chiyoda has been closely collaborating with Hazer for some time. We believe Hazer’s innovative technology has strong alignment with the Japanese market and we are delighted to be working together with Chubu Electric and Hazer bringing our engineering and project expertise to bear on this exciting project for early social implementation towards a carbon free society.”

Glenn Corrie, Chief Executive Officer of Hazer Group Limited, said: “Hazer has always viewed Japan as an important and strategic market for the deployment of our unique technology. By integrating our technology into the existing energy value chain, we can contribute to the decarbonisation of hard-to-abate sectors such as power generation, heavy industry and mobility. We feel privileged to be working with world- class and strategically aligned partners in Chubu Electric and Chiyoda, both of which have been leaders in their fields and have a demonstrated vision to decarbonise society. This deal complements our already established partnership with Mitsui relating to our graphite offtake and is further validation of the Hazer technology business plan”.