Hekinan, Tomakomai ammonia import hubs secure funding support from METI

More aspects of the economy-wide Hydrogen Society Promotion Act are being fleshed out in Japan. Following the awards of contracts-for-difference funding in late 2025 to (among others) Resonac, JERA, and Mitsui & Co. to bridge the cost gap for producing and importing low-carbon ammonia, development of supply chains and infrastructure projects are now in focus. Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) have now officially approved participants in two import hub projects, making them eligible to receive funding under the Hub Development Support Program.

Hubs to supply JERA, Mitsui & Co. with low-carbon ammonia

Click to enlarge. Graphic depiction of JERA’s low-emission ammonia supply chain from the USA to Japan, including development of truck loading facilities at Hekinan for ammonia supply to other industrial customers. Source: JERA.

Currently under-construction adjacent to JERA’s Hekinan power plant in Chubu, one of these import hubs is intended to supply the surrounding region with low-carbon ammonia imports, with JERA approved as official “supplier” for the hub. Via this approval, JERA will be eligible to receive financial support for the development of infrastructure necessary to supply low-carbon ammonia to other users in the area, including truck loading facilities. Import of ammonia for co-firing at the Hekinan power plant remains the primary purpose of the hub, but the Chubu region is home to a number of key industrial customers exploring the use of fuel ammonia, including Chubu Electric Power. JERA has already outlined its full supply chain for importing CCS-based ammonia from the Blue Point project in the USA to Hekinan.

IHI has provided more detail about progress on the fuel ammonia infrastructure being constructed next to the Hekinan import hub, featuring four large-scale storage tanks (total capacity 160,000 tons ammonia).

Click to learn more. Graphic visualisation of the ammonia import and supply hub in the Tomakomai area. Source: IHI.

IHI is also part of a consortium developing the Tomakomai ammonia import hub in Hokkaido, northern Japan. Mitsui & Co., Hokkaido Electric Power, and logistics provider Tomakomai Futo join IHI in being certified as “suppliers” in the Hub Development Support Program. Mitsui & Co. has already been awarded CfD funding for the import of up to 280,000 tons per year of low-carbon ammonia from the Blue Point project, and the consortium will now proceed with plans to develop an ammonia import and supply hub in Tomakomai by 2030.

The Hokkaido hub was launched in 2024, with the partners noting that the Tomakomai area “has vast land available” for new facilities, particularly large storage tanks. It is also the largest maritime hub in north Japan, with access to key shipping routes. There are a range of potential customers in the area, including Kushiro power plant and Nippon Beet Sugar Manufacturing.