IHI Corporation announced today that it has received an Engineering Special Encouragement Award of ENAA in the Engineering Advancement Association of Japan’s Engineering Contribution Award program. This prize honors companies, individuals, or groups in the engineering sector for their significant past or prospective contributions to industrial progress.

This prize commended IHI’s role in successfully deploying advanced technology in large-scale ammonia combustion demonstration testing in fiscal 2024 at Unit 4 of the Hekinan Thermal Power Station of JERA Co., Inc. That project verified the commercial feasibility of decarbonizing thermal power facilities by converting 20% of the fuel (by heating value) to ammonia. Favorable results across all key evaluation criteria included combustibility (such as stability and nitrogen oxide emission concentrations), plant operability, and safety.

IHI began focusing on using ammonia as a fuel in the mid-2010s, undertaking efforts to develop combustion technologies. In fiscal 2017 and 2018, the company conducted a research study into the feasibility of ammonia combustion in existing coal-fired power station boilers under the Cabinet Office’s Strategic Innovation Promotion Program. From fiscal 2019, IHI received support from the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) to conduct preliminary studies in preparation for demonstration tests (see note 1). Based on outcomes from those efforts, IHI began collaborating with JERA in fiscal 2021 on a NEDO-subsidized project to demonstrate 20% ammonia combustion at the Hekinan Thermal Power Station (see note 2). Ongoing developments culminating in fiscal 2024 testing at Unit 4 yielded excellent results. This project should serve as a valuable model for decarbonizing thermal power plants. IHI will build on this outcome to expand ammonia co-firing at other facilities and accelerate efforts to decarbonize them.

In parallel with demonstration testing, IHI has worked on formulating international standards to use ammonia safely as a fuel. Test results led to the publication of the ISO/TS 21343 (note 3) technical specifications (note 4). The company will continue contributing to the development of social infrastructure to enable the safe handling of this fuel and promote its early adoption as a practical energy source.

Notes

1. Research and development on multi-burner ammonia co-firing technology for pulverized coal boiler (NEDO-commissioned project)
2. Demonstration study of 20% ammonia co-firing at a one-gigawatt coal-fired power plant (NEDO-subsidized project).
3. The official title is ISO/TS 21343:2025 Oil and gas industries including lower carbon energy – Fuel ammonia — Requirements and guidance for boilers for power generation.
4. Technical specifications are published for immediate use when international standards have yet to be agreed upon. They may be revised through a formal change process and subsequently issued as international standards. A review is three years after publication.

Related news release
June 26, 2024 – IHI and JERA Complete Fuel Ammonia Substitution Demonstration Testing at Hekinan　Thermal Power Station
https://www.ihi.co.jp/en/all_news/2024/resources_energy_environment/1200954_13691.html

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