JERA outlines full supply route to bring low-carbon ammonia from USA to Japan
By on January 19, 2026
NYK, MOL chartered to ship total of 500,000 tons per year
Click to enlarge. Diagram of modifications required at the Hekinan power plant for commercial ammonia co-firing. From Masaki Ichiryu, JERA’s Decarbonization Initiatives: Exploring Results from the Ammonia Power Generation Demonstration at Hekinan (June 2025).
Following the award of contract-for-difference subsidies by the Japanese government for the import of CCS-based ammonia from the Blue Point project in the USA, JERA has outlined partners in the supply route linking Louisiana to Japan. Time-charter contracts have been signed with NYK Bulkship and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines to transport ammonia from Louisiana to JERA’s Hekinan Thermal Power Station in Hekinan City, Aichi Prefecture, where it will be commercially co-fired. JERA’s modifications to the facility include significant import and storage infrastructure, including a vessel berth and loading arm, storage tank, and vaporizer.
The contracts cover:
- two “ammonia carriers” from NYK
- and two very large gas carriers (VLGCs) from MOL
Both shipping companies are in the process of developing ammonia-powered versions of these vessels: NYK expects its first 40,000 m3 ammonia-fueled medium gas carrier to hit the water in November this year (Yara has signed a time charter for the first of these vessels); and MOL (alongside CMB.TECH) is developing a small fleet of ammonia-powered vessels, with three Capesize bulk carriers the first to be delivered.
To underpin the whole supply chain, JERA announced late last year that the Japanese government had certified it as a “Supplier of Low-Carbon Hydrogen and its Derivatives”. Beyond power generation at Hekinan, JERA intends to supply ammonia throughout the Chubu region of Japan for the manufacturing and shipping industries.
Securing government support marks a significant milestone in advancing a comprehensive and resilient low-carbon ammonia value chain and paving the way for the expansion of ammonia across industries in Japan. Anchored by Hekinan Thermal Power Station, JERA delivers tailored, cutting-edge, and effective solutions that support our customers’ decarbonization efforts—locally, nationally, and globally. As a pioneer, we are committed to the real-world deployment of low-carbon ammonia, and driving the transition toward zero emissions in alignment with evolving policy.
Hisahide Okuda, President of JERA, in his organisation’s official press release, 19 Dec 2025