Japanese construction company Taisei Corporation is intensifying its efforts towards entering the first-of-its-kind domestic carbon capture and storage (CCS) project utilizing underground spaces beneath the seabed. Effective from April 1st, Civil Engineering Division of the company has established a "CCS Project Promotion Office" and gathered diverse expertise related to CCS from both within and outside the company. As the sole construction company, it will participate in the "Advanced CCS Projects" led by Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC) aimed at project realization by the fiscal year 2030.

The CCS Project Promotion Office has commenced its activities with a team of approximately 10 members. Apart from the company's proven CO2 underground storage simulation technology accumulated since the early 2000s domestically and internationally, it has also recruited external experts in various fields such as geology, physical exploration, well drilling, storage tanks, and safety facilities.

In the fiscal year 2023, Taisei Corporation, in collaboration with ITOCHU Corporation, Nippon Steel Corporation, INPEX Corporation, Taiheiyo Cement Corporation, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., and ITOCHU Oil Exploration Co., Ltd., entered the "Tohoku Region West Coast CCS initiative", which was selected as one of the seven projects under JOGMEC's Advanced CCS Project Feasibility Study. The envisioned business model involves liquefying CO2 collected from manufacturing plants and transporting it by ship, then injecting the CO2 lifted at the receiving base into the underground.

Taisei and INPEX are responsible for the drilling plan of wells for injecting CO2, as well as the modeling and simulation evaluation of geological strata related to CO2 storage. In the fiscal year 2024, following the survey, it aims to be contracted for design work and related tasks for advanced CCS projects to be commissioned soon, along with the same seven-company consortium. Future business expansion beyond this project, including overseas ventures, is also under consideration.
(2024/04/03)