the gas at a major commercial plant.

The trial will take place from March 26 to June 19 and is part of JERA's decarbonisation efforts, it said.

The project, which started in 2021 with small volumes of ammonia at another unit at Hekinan, is aimed at cutting carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by replacing some coal with cleaner fuels.

Ammonia is mainly made from hydrogen produced from natural gas and nitrogen from the air. It does not emit CO2 when burned, but its production releases emissions if it is made with fossil fuels.

Japan, the world's fifth-biggest CO2 emitter, aims to use ammonia and hydrogen as fuels for thermal power generation to help achieve its 2050 goal of becoming carbon neutral.

"By conducting this demonstration and establishing combustion technology, we can take the first step toward promoting zero-emission thermal power plants that do not emit CO2," Katsuya Tanigawa, head of the Hekinan power station, told reporters.

JERA wants to gradually increase the ammonia component with a view to eventually reaching 100% in its power plants.

"We want to contribute to the decarbonisation of the entire world through the use of our technology in countries and regions where thermal power plants are needed, both at home and abroad," he said.

JERA plans to use 40,000 metric tons of ammonia for the demonstration, but did not disclose where it will buy ammonia from.

(Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; Editing by Sharon Singleton)

By Yuka Obayashi