Sembcorp in strategic partnerships with Japan government, companies for hydrogen initiatives

SEMBCORP Industries : U96 0% on Tuesday (Oct 25) announced that it has entered into strategic partnerships with the Japanese government and various corporations to further hydrogen and other decarbonisation initiatives. 

In a press release, the Singapore-listed utilities giant said the hydrogen supply chain will be a “prominent focus” across all these partnerships. 

The partnerships inked include a memorandum of understanding (MOU)  with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), which will see JBIC support projects with a focus on green hydrogen and ammonia developed by Sembcorp and Japanese companies. This MOU was signed on the sidelines of the opening day of the Singapore International Energy Week. 

Another MOU was signed with global trading company Sojitz Corporation to partner on new renewable energy projects in Asia-Pacific. Such projects include green hydrogen production, battery energy storage systems and net zero industrial parks. 

Sembcorp had also entered into an MOU with heavy-industry manufacturer IHI Corporation to collaborate on an integrated green ammonia supply chain for both upstream and downstream segments. 

In addition, Sembcorp will advance the development of hydrogen imports via methylcyclohexane – a type of liquid organic hydrogen carrier – with the commencement of pre-FEED (front-end engineering design) studies. The company termed this a “key milestone” under the MOU it signed with Japanese companies Mitsubishi and Chiyoda in October last year. 

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Wong Kim Yin, chief executive of Sembcorp, said the partnerships align with the company’s move to transform its portfolio from “brown to green”. 

In response to a query from The Business Times, Wong said that hydrogen has the potential to be adopted across different sectors, such as shipping, aviation and power as a low-carbon fuel or feedstock. He noted that green hydrogen, which is produced from renewable energy, is the “most promising alternative fuel to natural gas”.

Sembcorp, he said, is “naturally positioned” to produce and import green hydrogen as the group is the largest importer of natural gas to Singapore, and has 7.1 gigawatts of solar, wind and energy storage capacity. 

“Sembcorp and our Japanese partners will work together to progress hydrogen and ammonia as a fuel source in the energy and industrial sectors. We will leverage our energy and renewables expertise to participate in various opportunities throughout the hydrogen value chain,” said Wong. 

Apart from Japan, Wong said Sembcorp has a “growing renewables presence” in China and India. In Singapore, he added that the company can offer decarbonisation solutions to customers through low-carbon hydrogen, either as an alternative fuel to natural gas or a blend of both.