Achieve Fuel Conversion to Natural Gas through Collaboration between Multiple Businesses in Higashine Omori Industrial Park, Yamagata Prefecture ~Expected to Reduce CO₂ Emissions by Approximately 1,600 tons Annually~

Sakurambo Smart Energy LLC
Tokyo Gas Engineering Solutions Corporation
Japan Petroleum Exploration Co., Ltd.
YAMAGATA GAS Co., Ltd.
Resonac Hard Disk Corporation
THE NIPPON ROAD CO., LTD.
ACE JAPAN Co., Ltd.
Yamamoto Co., Ltd.
Yamagata Prefectural Government
Higashine City

Sakurambo Smart Energy LLC (Sakurambo SE), Tokyo Gas Engineering Solutions Corporation (TGES), Japan Petroleum Exploration Co., Ltd. (JAPEX), YAMAGATA GAS Co., Ltd. (Yamagata Gas), Resonac Hard Disk Corporation (Resonac Hard Disk), THE NIPPON ROAD CO., LTD. (The Nippon Road), ACE JAPAN Co., Ltd. (Ace Japan), and Yamamoto Co., Ltd. (Yamamoto) have launched a joint initiative^*1 to convert fuel*²  to natural gas (hereinafter the "Initiative") at the Higashine Oomori Industrial Park (hereinafter the "Industrial Park") in Higashine City, Yamagata Prefecture. 

As part of the initiative, Sakurambo SE has installed an LNG satellite station*³ and boilers, and supplies steam to Resonac Hard Disk through its boiler ESP business^*4. Yamagata Gas receives wholesale gas supplies from Sakurambo SE via its LNG satellite station and retails it to the Yamagata Kyodo Ascon Joint Venture^*5, operated by Nippon Road and others, as well as to Ace Japan and Yamamoto. As a result, multiple businesses within the industrial park--which lies outside the city gas supply area-- have joined forces to switch from conventional fuels, primarily kerosene, heavy oil, and LPG, and are expected to reduce CO₂ emissions by 1,600 tons annually.

The initiative was submitted to the Ministry of the Environment's "SHIFT Project"^*6 and was selected as the first project involving multiple businesses as a joint initiative. This is a model case that demonstrates how inter-company collaboration can enable the shared use of facilities and efficient energy supply to reduce CO₂ emissions in industrial parks where energy demand is concentrated.

This initiative has been commercialized based on a survey^*7 conducted by Yamagata Prefecture to promote low carbonization and decarbonization of energy in the industrial sector toward the realization of a carbon-neutral society, and with the support of Yamagata Prefecture and Higashine City^*8. Sakurambo SE, TGES, JAPEX, Yamagata Gas, Resonac Hard Disk, Nippon Road, Ace Japan, and Yamamoto promote energy conservation and CO₂ reduction through the Initiative and contribute to the realization of Yamagata Prefecture's "Zero Carbon Yamagata 2050"^*9.