Resonac’s project to replace an existing 73.5MW petroleum coke- and city gas-fired unit at its Kawasaki Plant in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 30MW to 40MW city gas- and hydrogen-fueled unit was selected for METI’s program to support difficult-to-decarbonize industries’ energy transition on October 7, 2025. With that, the company has decided to proceed with the project.
According to the statement, the company aims to commission the new unit in the first quarter of 2030. Investment in the project is estimated at about 21.7 billion yen, with up to 7.1 billion yen covered by the support scheme.
Once operational, the new unit is expected to generate approximately 210GWh annually, covering about 40% of the chemical plant’s power consumption. The company said a portion of the output will also be supplied to its semiconductor materials-related facilities, primarily in the Kanto area.
Resonac launched the environmental impact assessment process for what appears to be a broader repowering project of the power plant in July 2024. A summary of the primary consideration submitted to METI and local governments shows that the industrial materials manufacturer planned to replace the 73.5MW unit with three 31.8MW gas turbines and a 44.2MW steam turbine. The status of the extra two gas turbines and the steam turbine is unknown.
The power plant’s overall capacity is expected to increase from the current 159MW consisting of two 73.5MW units and smaller 7.6MW and 4.4MW turbines to 257MW if all units outlined in the primary consideration are completed. Construction is expected to begin in 2027 and initially, the new turbine is expected to be 30% hydrogen-fired, according to the document. Denki Shimbun reported it is expected to transition to 100% hydrogen by 2035.
