MHI’s CO2-Capture Pilot Plant Begins Operation at Japanese Power Station

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) installed, commissioned, and kick-started a CO₂-capture pilot plant at Kansai Electric Power’s (KEPCO) Himeji no. 2 power station in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. Using MHI’s Kansai Mitsubishi Carbon Dioxide Recovery process (KM CDR), the pilot will extract CO₂ from Himeji’s gas turbine-produced flue stream, allowing MHI to conduct additional research and development for carbon-capture technologies.

KEPCO’s power plant currently captures approximately 5 tons of CO₂ per day, with the next-generation pilot project expected to increase the CO₂-capture rate following demonstration. MHI also installed its ΣSynX Supervision remote monitoring system to monitor and collect pilot data. With the pilot, MHI looks to:

• Strengthen its carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) business
• Accelerate R&D for minimizing environmental footprint and lowering costs
• Enable additional demonstration tests with new equipment
• Adhere to MISSION NET ZERO—an initiative to decarbonize both energy supply and demand by 2040

KEPCO and MHI have partnered on the research and development of CO₂-capture technologies since 1990. With this pilot project, they will respond quickly to customers’ requirements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and comply with environmental regulations.

Himeji CO₂ Capture Pilot Plant; image credit: MHI

KM CDR Process + Deployment

In 2022, MHI Group and ExxonMobil joined forces to develop an end-to-end, next-generation CCS solution for power plants. MHI and KEPCO offered their KM CDR and Advanced KM CDR technologies for this initiative, which are presently installed across 18 power plants.

The Advanced KM CDR process uses the KS-21 solvent, an improved version of the amine-based KS-1, delivering enhanced regeneration efficiency and reduced deterioration compared to its predecessor. Through numerous pilots, demonstrations, and commercial operations, this CO₂-capture technology has shown energy-saving performance, minimized OPEX, and lower amine emissions.

In mid-September 2024, MHI deployed its KM CDR Process to remove approximately 25,000 tons of CO₂ per year at a fully operational post-combustion carbon-capture plant. The facility, located in Ravenna, Italy, is part of the Ravenna Carbon Capture and Storage (Ravenna CCS) project launched by Eni and Snam. KM CDR was installed at Eni’s Casalborsetti natural gas treatment plant by NEXTCHEM, the project’s technology integrator, while KT Integrated E&C Solutions completed engineering, procurement, and construction works at the site. MHI delivered the process design package and is licensing the technology.

At the plant, MHI’s carbon-capture process treats low-CO₂ flue gas from a natural gas turbine driving a turbocompressor. With CO₂ concentration levels less than 3% and low atmospheric pressure in the exhaust, the technology is reducing CO₂ emissions by 90% with peaks of 96%.

Ravenna CCS, developed exclusively to mitigate environmental impact, is Italy’s first project to capture, transport, and permanently store CO₂. Captured CO₂ is transported through repurposed gas pipelines, then injected and stored at 3,000-meter depth in Eni’s Porto Corsini Mare Ovest depleted offshore gas field. During Ravenna CCS Phase 2, further industrial-scale development will enable storage of up to 4 million tons of CO₂ annually by 2030.

MHI in the News

In February 2025, Mitsubishi Power successfully delivered its hydrogen-ready M701 JAC gas turbine to Aluminum Bahrain’s (Alba) Power Station 5 Block 4 combined-cycle power plant, completing the project one month ahead of schedule. The company also signed a long-term service agreement to ensure the gas turbine’s availability, reliability, and performance, allowing Alba to leverage uninterrupted power generation for aluminum production and domestic industrial growth.