| Azaraimy HH |
A SEMINAR highlighted that Brunei holds the potential of becoming a major supplier in the global hydrogen supply chain in the future
The seminar on the utilisation of hydrogen for energy generation was co-hosted at the campus of Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) yesterday by the Japanese Embassy in Brunei Darussalam, Advanced Hydrogen Energy Chain Association for Technology Department (AHEAD) – a consortium comprised of leading Japanese companies Mitsubishi Corporation, Chiyoda Corporation, Nippon Yusen, and Mitsui & Co Ltd – and UBD’s Faculty of Integrated Technologies (FIT).
The seminar gave the university’s academic staff and students an overview of the opportunities offered by the hydrogen industry, including those for Brunei’s future development. Hydrogen is widely viewed as an energy source of the future, due to the fact that it is pollutant-free, clean and sustainable.
The construction of a hydrogenation plant at Sungai Liang Industrial Park (SPARK), part of a world-first global hydrogen supply chain demonstration plant, will begin next month. Preparation work for the plant has already been done in March.
The plant is scheduled to be commissioned by end of 2019 and become operational in 2020, just in time for the 2020 Japan Olympics (to fuel cars at the event). At this point, the plant will begin producing hydrogen from Brunei LNG-processed natural gas and transform it into liquid organic form (methylcyclohexane or MCH) using their patented technology.
The liquefied hydrogen will then be transported on land using ISO tank containers to Muara Port for shipping to Japan for use in electricity generation.
Four presentations were made during the seminar: ‘Global Hydrogen Technology Trend and Development of SPERA Hydrogen System’ by principal researcher at the Technology Development Department of Chiyoda Corporation Dr Yoshimi Okada; ‘Hydrogen related research at FIT, UBD’ by Senior Assistant Professor at UBD Dr Abul Kalam Azad; ‘Movement toward Hydrogen Soceity’ by Hiroki Toriyama of Environment Business, Research and Development Department Dept, Mitsubishi Corporation; and ‘World’s First Hydrogen Supply Chain Project and Future Perspectives’ by Business Director of AHEAD and Hydrogen Supply Chain Development Department of Chiyoda Corporation Osamu Ikeda.
Dr Yoshimi Okada and Hiroki Toriyama talked about the ever-changing technological and market trends relating to hydrogen, while Osamu Ikeda went in depth about the hydrogen project and its future implications on the global energy landscape. Dr Abul Kalam Azad, meanwhile, delivered his insights from an academic standpoint.
The hydrogen plant project at SPARK signifies the longstanding strong bilateral ties between Brunei and Japan, not only in the traditional Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) trade, but also in new technology development in the oil and gas sector.