Hooked on coal for power, Japan aims for ammonia fix

Japan is stepping up efforts to extend the lifespan of its coal-fired power plants in an ambitious project to add low-carbon ammonia to its fuel mix, targeting both stable energy supply and lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in one stroke.

The world’s fifth-biggest CO2 emitter’s push to use ammonia as a fuel reflects its 2050 goal to become carbon neutral and comes to alleviate pressure from Britain and other countries to phase out dirty coal at the COP26 global climate conference, starting in Glasgow on Sunday.

Tokyo has pledged to achieve net zero emissions status by 2050, but reliance on coal and gas as fuels for power has grown since Japan suffered the 2011 Fukushima disaster, which effectively left its nuclear power industry in crisis.

Use of ammonia - principally used as a raw material for fertiliser and chemicals - faces significant technical and costs challenges, and likely won’t placate campaigners calling for a COP26 commitment to consign use of coal to history.