Idemitsu, Mitsubishi & Proman: US ammonia for the Japanese market

Idemitsu Kosan, Mitsubishi Corporation and Proman have reached an agreement to jointly develop a 1.2 million ton-per-year ammonia production project in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Expected to come online by 2030, the project was first announced last year as a partnership between Proman and Mitsubishi Corporation.

Topose’s SynCOR^TM hydrogen production technology will be utilised, as will Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kansai Electric Power’s Advanced KM CDR ProcessTM technology for carbon capture from flue gas. The project is currently at the FEED stage, which has been awarded to MHI and Zachry Group of the U.S.A.

Of importance to this project, both Idemitsu and Mitsubishi have previously announced plans to develop ammonia import terminals from existing assets in Japan.

Initially announced in 2021, Idemitsu aims to establish an ammonia import terminal leveraging existing infrastructure at the Tokuyama Industrial Complex in Shunan City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. The terminal will have capacity to handle over 1 million tons of ammonia per year by 2030 for supply to multiple industries including chemicals and steel sectors.

Similarly, in Namikata-cho, Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture, Mitsubishi Corporation plans to turn its part of the LPG terminal into an ammonia terminal and supply ammonia fuel to the Shikoku and Chugoku regions. As we reported in October last year, the repurposing will include the conversion of large-scale, low-temperature LPG tanks into ammonia tanks. Once ammonia-ready, the terminal will have an annual handling capacity of 1 million tons.

Setting up these ammonia terminals will allow the project partners to supply ammonia produced by the Lake Charles project to different regions in Japan.