CCS Efforts in Japan
With JOGMEC support, JAPEX is actively advancing the Tomakomai Area CCS Project and the Higashi-Niigata Area CCS Project.
Tomakomai Area CCS Project
Tomakomai City and the surrounding area are one of Hokkaido's leading logistics clusters and industrial hubs. Building on the understanding of local governments and communities fostered through the national large-scale CCS demonstration project conducted in the area, the aim is to implement a CCS project utilizing local CO₂.
A portion of the offshore area of Tomakomai City, Hokkaido, was designated by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry in February 2025 as Japan's first "specified area" under the CCS Business Act. On the same day, a public call for applications for drilling permits in the specified area began. JAPEX applied and received a drilling permit in September 2025.
Going forward, JAPEX will proceed with studies and preparations, including exploration drilling, toward the start of operations in 2030.
| Item | Details |
| Company | Japan Petroleum Exploration Co., Ltd., Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd., Hokkaido Electric Power Co., Inc. |
| Area of CO₂ Storage | Tomakomai Area (Saline aquifer) |
| CO₂ Storage Volume | Approximately 1.5 ~ 2 Mtpa |
| CO₂ Emission Source | Oil refinery, Electric power plant in Tomakomai Area |
| Export method | Pipeline |
| Project Outline | Tomakomai Area CCS will pursue collaboration with "CCU/ Carbon Recycling" that is to reuse CO2 as resources and "BECCS" that is to combine CCS with a biomass power plant for the future. |
Higashi-Niigata Area CCS Project
In the Higashi-Niigata area, existing oil and gas fields expected to be suitable for CO₂ storage have been identified, and a variety of CO₂ emission sources such as large chemical plants and thermal power plants are concentrated nearby--approximately 10 million t/y of CO₂ emissions--making it a promising CCS candidate site.
With national support as a JOGMEC Advanced CCS Project since FY2023, the aim is to develop a hub-and-cluster CCS project in which CO₂ separated and captured by multiple emitters will be transported by pipeline and injected and stored underground from FY2030 onward.
| Item | Details |
| Company | Japan Petroleum Exploration Co., Ltd., Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc., Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, Inc., Hokuetsu Corporation |
| Area of CO₂ Storage | Niigata Prefecture (Oil and gas field) |
| CO₂ Storage Volume | Approximately 1.4 Mtpa |
| CO₂ Emission Source | Chemical plant, Pulp & Paper mill, Electric power plant in Niigata prefecture |
| Export method | Pipeline |
| Project Outline | Higashi-Niigata Area CCS will create added-values, such as decarbonized fuels and environmental value, to chemical, pulp, and electric power plant, etc. by utilizing existing oil and gas field as CO2 storage sites. |
Targeting the commencement of storage operations around 2030, JAPEX is proceeding--with the cooperation of local governments and residents--with studies of the value chain together with consortium members and examinations of each facility.
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