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Hitachi Begins Construction on Test Facility
for CO2 Capture Technology
Saskatchewan, November 20, 2013 -- Hitachi, Ltd. (6501, "Hitachi") today announced that construction has begun on a Carbon Capture Test Facility ("CCTF") designed to capture CO2 emissions from coal-fired power plants. Hitachi and its partner, Saskatchewan Power Corporation ("SaskPower"), agreed to build this demonstration project in March of 2012. The construction work is expected to be completed during the fall of 2014, and the CCTF will be operational by the end of that year. The goal of the demonstration project is to determine the necessary properties required to scale up to a large, commercial-size facility, and demonstration tests will be conducted to comprehensively evaluate the facility's overall reliability and economic feasibility.
Canada is currently promoting the development of Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS) technology, and the implementation of demonstration projects as part of its national energy management strategy. SaskPower, in line with this initiative, is now working to further develop CCS technology for various clean coal projects. Hitachi began researching and developing technology to capture CO2 in the 1990s. Since then, the company has conducted demonstration projects using its own research equipment and it is using pilot facilities in Japan and overseas.
SaskPower's experience in integrating CCS into commercial projects combined with Hitachi's expertise in Carbon Capture Technology will enable the parties to comprehensively test and evaluate the technology's overall reliability, economic feasibility, and the necessary properties required to scale up to a large, commercial-size facility.
The CCTF will have capabilities to capture 120 tons of CO2 per day from the flue gas emitted from SaskPower's Shand Power Station (298MW) located near the city of Estevan, Saskatchewan, using a chemical scrubbing method with an amine based absorbent. Hitachi will produce and supply its CO2 capture solvent (H3-1) and the main equipment for the facility. Hitachi Group companies Babcock-Hitachi K.K. and Hitachi Power Systems Canada, Ltd. from the Province of Saskatchewan will be in charge of production and supply.
Through this demonstration project with SaskPower, Hitachi will focus on achieving commercial operations, reducing costs, realizing innovative technologies and will contribute to the realization of a low-carbon society.
About Hitachi, Ltd.
Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 326,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2012 (ended March 31, 2013) consolidated revenues totaled 9,041 billion yen ($96.1 billion). Hitachi is focusing more than ever on the Social Innovation Business, which includes information and telecommunication systems, power systems, industrial, transportation and urban development systems, as well as the sophisticated materials and key devices that support them.
For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi.com.
Hitachi specializes in manufacturing and marketing of electronic and industrial equipments. Net sales (including intragroup) break down by family of products and services as follows:
- social infrastructure and industrial systems (24.7%): elevators, escalators, industrial facilities, railway systems, power generation units, etc. The group also provides engineering and construction of nuclear, hydroelectric, and thermal power plants services;
- information and telecommunications products and services (20.1%): systems integration, cloud computing, software, servers, hard disks, PCs, ATMs, data communication base stations, payment terminals, etc.;
- materials and components (16.6%): semi-conductor materials, printed circuit cards, cables, copper and forged steel products, magnetic materials, organic and inorganic chemical products, etc.;
- construction equipment (10%) : hydraulic excavators, wheel loaders, mining equipment, etc.;
- automotive systems (9.4%): powertrain systems, control systems, etc.;
- electronic products (9.2%): fiber-optic components, screen tubes, testing and measurement equipment, medical equipment, equipment for manufacturing semiconductors, etc.;
- household appliances (4.7%): heating and air conditioning equipments, refrigerators, washing machines, etc.;
- other (5.3%): mainly transport, financial and logistical services.
Net sales are distributed geographically as follows: Japan (49.2%), Asia (21.3%), North America (12.7%), Europe (10.8%) and other (6%).