Drilling approved in Japan for offshore carbon capture wells
Japex aims for two test wells starting from this November
Japan Petroleum Exploration (Japex) has received approval by the local authorities to drill two carbon capture and storage wells this November off the coast of Hokkaido in northern Japan.
The drilling is required to test whether or not the reservoirs are suitable for storing carbon dioxide for the Tomakomai CCS project.
Japex said the drilling of the two test wells will begin from November 2025, and that a project final investment decision could be made in the 2026 fiscal year if drilling results are positive.
The Tomakomai CCS project contemplates receiving CO2 from Idemitsu Kosan's Hokkaido refinery and Hokkaido Electric Power's Tomato Atsuma power station.
Japex will be responsible for injecting and storing the CO2 underground.
The Japanese oil and gas company has previously performed basic engineering design for the pipelines and equipment as part of the CO2 transport and storage for the project.
The company said earlier the deep saline formations in the sea area around Tomakomai could achieve a CO2 storage volume of 1.5 million to 2 million tonnes per annum in 2030.
In addition to the Tomakomai CCS project, Japex is also progressing a CCS project in the Higashi-Niigata area.
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