| By Mary Bailey
Japan Suiso Energy, Ltd. (JSE) and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Kawasaki LH2 Terminal, a liquefied hydrogen base in Ogishima, Kawasaki City, Japan.
Kawasaki LH2 Terminal is the key facility for the “Liquefied Hydrogen Supply Chain Commercialization Demonstration” project subsidized by the Green Innovation Fund Project promoted by New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). As the world’s first commercial-scale facility handling the liquified hydrogen, this terminal will be equipped with the world’s largest (50,000 m3) liquefied hydrogen storage tank together with facilities for maritime cargo handling (capable of loading and unloading operations), hydrogen liquefaction, hydrogen gas supply and lorry dispatch of liquefied hydrogen. JSE will manage the project, while a joint venture led by Kawasaki will be the main contractor responsible for the design and construction of the facilities. Furthermore, the liquefied hydrogen carrier (with a capacity of approximately 40,000 m³) scheduled for future construction will also be among the largest in the world. Together with the terminal, these facilities will serve as a critical foundation for the full-scale operation of the future hydrogen supply chain.
By 2030, the project will start operating the Kawasaki LH2 Terminal and a newly constructed liquefied hydrogen carrier, while the requirements for a commercial international hydrogen supply chain (performance, safety, durability, reliability, economics, commercialization) are determined in Japan. From 2030 onwards, the aim is to import liquefied hydrogen into Japan using liquefied hydrogen carriers, and receive and store it at Kawasaki LH 2 Terminal for subsequent supply to domestic hydrogen consumers.