Progress for implementation in Japan: Recap from the CFAA International Symposium
By on March 01, 2026
The AEA’s Kevin Rouwenhorst presents at the 7th CFAA International Symposium in Tokyo this February.
In February 2026, I visited Japan to speak about the AEA Ammonia Certification System at the 7th CFAA International Symposium. Other speakers at the conference include CFAA and METI for the opening address, ammonia producers ACME, CF Industries and Yara, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), Germany-based H2Global, Japanese classification society ClassNK, ammonia technology providers TB Global Technologies & Wärtsilä, and the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) of Singapore. Various companies also presented posters during the coffee break. The day was rounded off with a panel discussion focused on the use of ammonia as maritime fuel. The live audience in Tokyo and an online audience totaled around 450 participants.
Following Julian Atchison’s visit last year, there is significant progress with the first four projects awarded funding under METI’s Contracts-for-Difference scheme, of which three ammonia projects:
- Resonac: Around 100,000 tons of additional ammonia production with hydrogen produced via plastic waste gasification (and in the future used textiles gasification)
- JERA: Around 490,000 tons ammonia from Louisiana used mainly for 20% co-firing with coal at Hekinan power station, and other smaller uses in industry
- Mitsui & Co.: Around 280,00 tons of ammonia from Louisiana used mainly for co-firing at Hokkaido Power, with other smaller uses in industry
Wood Mackenzie estimated that only a portion of the funds have been allocated, with further funding announcements expected in 2026.
As well as the Symposium, CFAA organized visits to various Japanese organizations: government institution JOGMEC, oil company Idemitsu Kosan, shipping company NYK Line, chemical company Resonac, and engineering corporation IHI.
JOGMEC: Providing guidance for low-carbon ammonia imports
Japan is the first country to formally define a threshold for low-carbon ammonia, at 0.87 tCO2e/tNH3 on a Well-to-Gate basis. Government agency JOGMEC published the second issue of its “Recommended Guideline for Greenhouse Gas and Carbon Intensity Accounting framework for LNG/Hydrogen/Ammonia Projects” in June 2023.
The visit of AEA and CFAA to the JOGMEC office in Tokyo.
JOGMEC is preparing documentation outlining the steps for third parties to verify carbon intensity for use in the Contracts-for-Difference scheme. This document is intended to serve as the basis for emissions allocation in ammonia production, and is designed to align with the forthcoming ISO 19870-1 and ISO 19870-3 standards. The AEA is the convenor of the ISO 19870-3 standard working group, and the standard has proceeded from the first working draft to draft international standard (DIS) in 2025, with publication expected later in 2026 or early 2027.
As the AEA Ammonia Certification System Pilot progresses throughout 2026, close contact will be maintained with observers such as JOGMEC. JOGMEC also plans to implement a certification pilot program to verify challenges in third-party verification of carbon intensity.
Idemitsu Kosan: Potential ammonia imports to decarbonize chemical complex
Idemitsu Kosan is an oil company, aiming to use ammonia in its refineries and chemical plants. In February 2024, Idemitsu Kosan conducted demonstrations for using 20% ammonia as fuel in a commercial naphtha cracking furnace at Tokuyama Complex in Western Japan, using IHI-developed burners. IHI began developing the ammonia burners for naphtha cracking in 2021, using a one-megawatt thermal basic combustion test furnace at the Aioi Works.
Click to learn more. Inside Idemitsu’s naphtha cracking furnace during ammonia co-firing. Source: Idemitsu Kosan.
Idemitsu Kosan is in discussions to be involved in ExxonMobil’s Baytown project for 1 million tons per year production (with Idemitsu Kosan exploring joint equity and offtake with Mitsubishi Corporation). Also, Idemitsu Kosan aims to establish an ammonia import terminal leveraging existing infrastructure at the Tokuyama Industrial Complex. The terminal will have capacity to handle over 1 million tons of ammonia per year for supply to multiple consumers, including power sectors, chemicals and steel sectors.
NYK Line: preparing for scale up of ammonia use in the maritime sector
NYK is a shipping company operating over 800 vessels in various shipping segments. An ammonia-fueled tugboat is already operational, and an ammonia-fueled ammonia carrier is under construction. By 2033, NYK aims to complete 15 ammonia-fueled vessels.
Click to learn more. The first truck-to-ship refueling of the A-Tug in Yokohama, July 2024. Source: NYK Line.
NYK’s tugboat Sakigake (the “A-Tug”) is a retrofitted tugboat, previously using LNG as fuel. The vessel was retrofitted with ammonia-fueled four-stroke engines, hitting the waters in 2024, and has been using ammonia as a fuel since then.
In July 2024, the first truck-to-ship ammonia bunkering was completed at the Port of Yokohama. Moored at Honmoku Wharf, the tugboat Sakigake was refueled from a shoreside tanker truck with ammonia. The ammonia was produced by Resonac. To date, the tugboat has been refueled with ammonia 17 times via truck-to-ship bunkering.
Currently, NYK has an ammonia-fueled midsize gas carrier (AFMGC) under construction at Japan Marine United Ariake for delivery in November 2026. The vessel has a capacity of 40,000 m3 or around 26,500 tons of ammonia. Engine room safety accreditation will be granted by ClassNK upon delivery of the vessel. Yara Clean Ammonia has signed a time-charter contract with NYK Group for the vessel.
In September 2025, NYK conducted a successful ship-to-ship (STS) ammonia transfer off the coast of Ceuta, Spain near the Straits of Gibraltar, where an entire cargo of 23,000 tons of ammonia was transferred.
Resonac: Mixed plastic waste gasification to ammonia
The AEA and CFAA visit Resonac’s Kawasaki Plastic Recycling (KPR) Plant.
Operational since 2003, Resonac’s Kawasaki Plastic Recycling (KPR) Plant gasifies used waste plastics at high temperatures, breaking them down to produce (mainly) hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The hydrogen is then mainly used as feedstock for ammonia production within Resonac, which is then used for synthetic fibers, for resins, for chemical fertilizers, for DeNOX, and as fuel for NYK Line’s A-Tug.
Currently, Resonac produces around half of the hydrogen required for ammonia production via plastic waste gasification, with the other half produced via gas reforming. Following METI’s CfD funding award, Resonac will expand its waste gasification capacity by 2030. Resonac also aims to introduce used textiles as a feedstock. This demonstrates circularity, as a portion of the ammonia at Resonac is used for acrylonitrile production, with subsequent textile production.
In 2023, Resonac obtained ISCC PLUS certification for waste plastic as a circular feedstock for hydrogen, ammonia, and acrylonitrile. Resonac has already obtained verification from the Japan Life Cycle Assessment Foundation (LCAF) that the calculation process complies with ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 in 2022, and that, as a result, ammonia derived from waste plastic by KPR reduces GHG emissions by “more than 80% lower” than for ammonia derived from city gas. From 2030, after plant expansion, the carbon intensity will be below the threshold of 0.87 tCO2e/tNH3 in Japan’s definition for low-carbon ammonia.
IHI: Ammonia co-firing and ammonia-fueled gas turbines
IHI Corporation has various ammonia-related activities, including ammonia burners for thermal power plants, boilers, and other heating applications, ammonia-fueled gas turbines, and ammonia-fueled engines (used in the A-Tug).
At its Aioi works in the West of Japan, IHI has various testing facilities for burners and gas turbines. These include 1 MW and 10 MW burner facilities that are used to conduct tests for coal-fired applications, tested in combination with ammonia or biomass. These serve as a last stepping stone for implementation in real-world applications.
In 2018, IHI achieved 20% ammonia co-firing with coal for the first time at its Aioi works. This was followed by a real-world demonstration in early 2024, when IHI and JERA concluded the ammonia co-firing trial at the Hekinan power station Unit 4. A 20% fuel substitution was achieved, with stable operations at the rated output (1 GW) continuing throughout the trial. The level of nitrogen oxides (NOX) generated was no higher than before fuel ammonia substitution (than when firing coal alone), a 20% reduction was found in sulfur oxides (SOX), and nitrous oxide (N2O) levels were below the threshold for detection. Next up, IHI and JERA aim to demonstrate up to 60% ammonia co-firing at JERA’s Hekinan power station Unit 5, based on initial demonstrations at Aioi.
The 2 MW ammonia-fueled gas turbine test site in Aioi. Source: IHI.
The Aioi works also features testing for ammonia-fueled gas turbines. In 2022, IHI first demonstrated 100% ammonia-fueled gas turbine operation, in collaboration with Tohoku University and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST). Throughout 2025, IHI conducted long-term durability testing of its 2 MW 100% ammonia-fueled gas turbine (IM270 model). For scale-up of the technology, IHI teams up with GE Vernova for a Large-scale Combustion Test facility (LCT) in Aioi, which commenced operations in the summer of 2025. The companies aim to commercialize large-scale ammonia-fueled gas turbines by 2030.