​​Mitsubishi Power to develop hydrogen power demonstration facility in Japan

It will be located at the MHI’s Takasago Machinery Works facility in Hyogo Prefecture.

Mitsubishi Power will establish the hydrogen power demonstration facility, Takasago Hydrogen Park, which will be the world’s first centre for validation of hydrogen-related technologies starting from production to power generation.

In a statement, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) said the hydrogen part will be located at the gas turbine development and manufacturing facility of its Takasago Machinery Works in Hyogo Prefecture, “to support the commercialisation of hydrogen gas turbines using hydrogen as fuel.”

MHI said the hydrogen park will be adjacent to the T-Point 2 combined cycle power plant validation facility which conducts long-term reliability validation of newly developed technologies such as the next-generation J-series Air-Cooled large frame gas turbines, amongst others.

“Mitsubishi Power is beginning to test and demonstrate operations of technologies including hydrogen production and storage and hydrogen fueling of gas turbines, aiming to commence operations in fiscal year 2023,” it said.

“The hydrogen production facility utilizes a water electrolysis system, and Mitsubishi Power plans to conduct successive testing and verification of other next-generation hydrogen production technologies such as turquoise-hydrogen production by pyrolysis of methane into hydrogen and solid carbon, etc,” it added.

The company added that an integrated system for technologies related to hydrogen will be established at the Takasago Machinery Works.

Its power solutions brand Mitsubishi Power will create a work-flow for the combustion chamber which is necessary for the hydrogen gas turbine which includes the development at the Research and Innovation Center, design, production of the actual machine, and validation testing at the demonstration facility.

Mitsubishi Power will use 30% hydrogen co-firing for large frame gas turbines and will use the hydrogen park to commercialise small and large frame gas turbines for a 100% hydrogen firing starting 2025, it said.

MHI added that it is building a value chain for hydrogen by integrating and advancing existing energy structures and hydrogen-related technologies as part of its energy transition strategy.