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Japan’s first green ammonia plant belongs to JGC Holdings Corporation and employs the proprietary K-GreeN technology developed by KBR. This industrial facility commenced operations earlier this year in the Fukushima region under financing from the state agency NEDO.
Deployment of the Ammonia Plant in Fukushima
JGC undertook the engineering and construction activities. The company currently owns the facility and assumes direct operator functions. For its part, the firm provided the chemical process license along with the specialized equipment essential for clean synthesis of the compound. During the 2022 contract periods, construction required two full years before initiating regular production.
Secondly, the facility’s operation demonstrates integration of advanced systems. For hydrogen production, the plant utilizes alkaline electrolyzers supplied by Asahi Kasei. These units receive electrical power from a nearby solar photovoltaic plant and also from the distribution grid. The required nitrogen arrives at the site in tanker trucks in liquid state.
In this manner, the facility generates four metric tons of clean ammonia daily at maximum capacity. This volume will be allocated to denitrification operations at thermal power plants.
Finally, the use of digital automation technologies for process stability is noteworthy. The plant features an integrated control system developed by JGC and Asahi Kasei. This tool works in conjunction with KBR’s advanced process control to mitigate variations in solar radiation.
Likewise, it enables operation in a dynamic scheme with immediate responses to environmental changes. KBR’s track record, with more than two hundred sixty licensed plants since 1943, provides the necessary technical support to consolidate these alternative sources.
Source and photo: KBR