Cross-border CCS project launches

This joint study agreement will see CO2 aggregated in Japan before transportation via large liquefied CO2 carriers to Alaska for sequestration.

This collaboration is the first of its kind between a Japanese company and US partners and aligns with both governments aims to commercialise the project.

“K Line Group is promoting a variety of initiatives to support the low-carbon and carbon-free of its own operations and society in accordance with its long-term environmental policy, ‘Environmental Vision 2050’,” said the company.

“In the field of CCS, the group plans to start the world’s first full-scale CCS transport from next year. It is expected that liquefied CO2 carriers will sequentially begin to operate in Japan and overseas in the future.”

The agreement was formalised during the ‘4th Japan-US CCUS Working Group’ meeting on 11 October 2024, co-hosted by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the US Department of Energy.

The Japanese government has set a goal to promote CCS projects by 2030, with the recent Japan-US joint leaders’ statement emphasising the evaluation of potential cross-border transport and storage hubs.

With Alaska’s total CCS capacity estimated at 50 gigatons – equivalent to Japan’s CO2 emissions over 50 years – this project could play a crucial role in addressing climate change challenges.