The Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry of Japan announced a goal at an international conference held in Tokyo on the 25th to increase the global utilization of hydrogen, considered a promising next-generation fuel, to 150 million tons by 2030. They have included this target in the chairman's statement, proposing it at ministerial conferences related to hydrogen in various countries and gaining support. Approximately 20 countries from Europe and Asia participated in the conference.
Hydrogen is viewed with high expectations as a decarbonization fuel since it does not emit carbon dioxide (CO2) when burned. In the 2022 ministerial conference, Japan set a goal to expand hydrogen production to 90 million tons annually by 2030. However, a lack of demand forecasts, which are a prerequisite for companies to make investment decisions, hindered significant investments.
Out of the 150 million tons utilization target, around 90 million tons, or 60%, will be covered by hydrogen produced from renewable energy sources or using low-carbon technologies to limit CO2 emissions during production.
Efforts are being made to transition from using fossil fuels like natural gas as the raw material for hydrogen production, as it results in a significant CO2 emission during production, which does not contribute to climate change mitigation.