Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (7011) Earnings Call Transcript & Summary

Thank you very much. Hello, everyone. I am CSO of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. My name is Kaguchi. Thank you very much for joining us at this briefing on CCUS. Last October, we announced 2021 medium-term business plan. And in that, in one of the growth area, energy transition was included, and we are working on that. Now, in energy transition, there are 3 pillars. First is the decarbonization of the existing infrastructure. The next is realization of the hydrogen ecosystem. And the third is realization of the CO2 ecosystem. Concerning the second pillar, last June -- last June, last year, we have made the similar briefing session. And this time, this is the second briefing session that we are having, in realizing the CO2 ecosystem. So CO2-related businesses and actual initiatives are the ones that we'd like to introduce to you. Concerning CCUS, especially in Europe and also North America, there are strong interest in this area. So we are very much focused in this. So I hope you would understand this. So now, more specifically, [ Sasaki ] will give you the presentation.

Thank you. This is [ Sasaki ] speaking. So I'd like to talk about the CCUS that we are working on at MHI. Today, as you can see here, we have Section 1 and Section 2. In Section 1, I'd like to talk about expectations for CCUS. So how do you look at the carbon neutrality. And I would like to share with you our view and what are the challenges, and what kind of business that we are going to develop. So those are the ones that I would explain first. And in Section 2, I'd like to talk about our view of CCUS, and what we are thinking about in terms of our business. First, the slide that you are looking at, right now is the annual CO2 capture amount to achieve carbon neutrality. These days, in 2050, we are trying to achieve the carbon neutrality. And we hear those keywords very often. On the right-hand side, we have graphs. And in 2021, how much CO2 is emitted right now. So 40 billion tonnes of anthropogenic CO2 is being emitted. And as for the CO2 capture, it is currently 40 million tonnes. It's very limited. So it's not balanced at all. The CO2 emission keeps increasing. In 2050, we are trying to achieve the carbon neutrality. And what would happen then is shown here. Now, the human CO2 emission is 4.2 -- 4.3 billion to 13 billion. It's a wide range, but this is the volume of emissions that we need to reduce to. And 4.3 billion to 13 billion tonnes, we threw the CO2 capture, if we can strike a good balance, then we'll be able to achieve the carbon neutrality. So the CO2 capture, the breakdown is shown in a pie chart, industrial use, fuel production, power generation and others. So as of now, the percentage or the structure will very much change. And unless we achieve this type of balance, we will not be able to achieve the carbon neutrality. So for that purpose, we believe CCUS is very important, and this is the area that we need to work on. Now, on this slide, now the separation and the capturing of the CO2, what is the global market right now? METI, Japan's Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry, has a road map to Beyond-Zero Carbon. According to this, in 2030, about JPY 6 trillion is the size of the market. In 2025, it is about JPY 12 trillion. So the growth is expected. We don't know whether the growth would be exactly what we expect right now, but the global warming and the preventing of it and to protect the environment, we need to also make the social contributions. And in order to achieve all of those, this is the amount of the CO2 capture that we need to achieve. Now, from our perspective, the CCUS, what are the challenges that we see right now? This is the simplified summary of that. The horizontal axis shows the CCTUS, the range is shown with the scope. From the left, we have a carbon capture and T, transportation and U for utilization and S for storage. And if we may categorize the challenges, the system issues and scaling issues and technical issues. There are 3 major categories of the issues and challenges. Now, the CO2 capture concerning that, first of all, the CO2 emission reduction measures and the carbon taxes and carbon pricing balance, among those, is important. And that is one of the system issues. In terms of scale, I think this is the most important one. There is only limited place to take CO2 after capturing. So unless we make the improvement, even if we capture CO2, there is no place to take the captured CO2, too. And with the slow deployment, there is a cost issue as well to store and capture. And as for the technical issues, the lack of the practical capture technology is one thing, and that needs to be the commercial use, and application needs to be expanded. Now, when we applied the capture technologies. So for example, the exhaust fuel, for example, we need to work on the further technological development so that we can capture the post-combustion CO2. In terms of the transportation, the range of the responsibility of the transporter is not very clear. And until now, the large amount of that CO2 were not transported. So there's a lack of clarity in terms of the systems. Now, looking at the scaling issue, the transportation and transportation capacity are limited because we have not done this until now. So it's still costly, and it's simply not done. As for the technical issues, there are no large-volume marine transport technology. When we say marine transport, we would be using the ships or vessels and the tanks to be used, and the technological development has not been completed. So how can we accelerate the development of the technology, is another issue. As for the U, utilization, in terms of the system issues, the green premium is limited and is not directly linked to CO2 fixation or sequestration. So it's not really functioning economically. And also a scaling issue, the end product is not new, and it's just mainly the replacement for the traditional product. So that is another issue. And no practical utilization technologies, lack of options. So there are a lot of issues like this. So in utilization, we need the hydrogen on the other side. So using CO2 and the hydrogen, how do you make it economical? That is another challenge that we are faced with. The final is the storage. Now system issue, as you can see, is that the monitoring, the assessment conditions for the environmental aspect is not yet in place. The storage is not something that is widely done. So this is something very new, so that's one of the challenges. And in the area of the scaling, the number of the practical reservoir is limited, and also, the amount is limited, and also, the cost is high because of the remote area that is for the storage location and also, deep underground. And also, the technical issue is the low maturity of the monitoring technology. So CCUS, as an idea, this is very often talked about. But there are many issues and challenges in systems, scaling as well as technical area. Now based on what I talked about, what about the status of the CO2 storage in the world? This is the brief summary. The map on the right, I am not going to explain the details. But on the left, there is a summary. So concerning the CCS, the development plans are currently going on, mainly in the Americas and Europe. And that is a fact. And the scale of the storage is about 1 million to 35 million tonnes per year. And what needs to be done, is actually 4.3 billion to 13 billion tonnes. So there's a big gap there. And we will have more and more storage sites and locations, which will be developed in the near future. According to the IEA, the worldwide storage potential is quite sufficient. So how can we make it economical and safe so we can have a storage location as well as the storage technology? I think, those could be our challenges. So I have talked about general matters about CCUS, and then we would like to move on to what we have in mind for CCUS business. CCUS, T is not included here, but towards the area of CCUS, we have defined 3 frameworks. These 3 frameworks are CO2NTAIN, capturing, CO2 recovery and capture to pave the way towards solution. And next is CO2NNECT. And by connecting, ecosystem be created so that economic viability can be in place. And we believe storage will CO2NTAIN, CO2NNECT, CO2NVERT, that is capture, transportation, utilization and storage. They are very important. And last is CO2NVERT, utilization through conversion of CO2. And in order to accelerate carbon neutrality, CO2NTAIN, CO2NNECT, CO2NVERT, those initiatives should be in place, and that is our concept at MHI. First of all, I would like to talk about CO2NTAIN and CO2 capture from different sources of emission. We are trying to capture and recover CO2. And there is a technology for a capture, and we do have such technology. So this KM CDR Process is going to be the core technology in this area. So that is the main capability in the area of CO2NTAIN. And next, I would like to talk about our initiative in other areas. And I would like to introduce to you customers' voices as well. Now, KM CDR process, this was developed by MHI, and this is solution technology for absorbing emission from different low gas. And this is a chemical absorption technology. We have the experience of developing this technology over the past 30 years. And on the accumulation of our effort, we have presence in CO2 capture, using this technology. So we have track record in this technology, which is our strength. And technology to capture CO2, there are different technologies, and they're summarized in the right-hand side. One is chemical absorption. This is to absorb CO2 using chemical substance. And the second is solid adsorption and thirdly, membrane separation. Mainly, there are 3 types of technology. We have KM CDR process, that is chemical absorption method. And the feature of this technology is that CO2 is dissolved in the liquid and separated. And relatively speaking, it is easy to upgrade the scale and the development status. We have a track record of commercialization, already in development of absorption solution has been done. And going forward, we have to meet the requirement from the market through cost reduction of equipment. And we've made entrance into the market with the technology, but other players such as Shell, Fluor, Aker, Toshiba, are entering into this market with their own technology. And about solid adsorption and on the service of the solid, CO2 is going to be adsorbed Air Liquide, Svante, the CO2 Solutions. There are different players, and they have their own unique features. Relatively speaking, there is a tendency that for a certain of low gas may be effective for capture using this technology, but the type of low gas may be limited. And the third is membrane separation. The area of application may be quite limited, according to our perspective. So these are 3 categories of technology. Then, KM CDR, the pie plant diagram that's shown on the slide. And roughly speaking, there are 3 towers in this diagram: the cooling tower, absorption tower and regeneration tower. So it consists of 3 towers. Emission gas comes into the cooling tower from the bottom, just from stack. And the gas temperature will be cooled down to 40 degrees (sic) [ 45 degrees ], then gas will be elevated towards the top of Absorption tower. And amine absorption liquid will be dispersed from the top. KS-21, KS-1, such absorbent is used. And then, it comes down to the bottom of the tower. And together with absorbent liquid from the bottom of the absorption tower, the liquid will be pumped up to the regeneration tower and CO2 will be discharged. And from the top of regeneration tower is discharged for capture. And inside absorption tower, CO2, after being cooled down, there is a part where amine is injected. There is a diagram of a pump here. Once again, the liquid is washed. And from the top of the tower, as a CO2, free air from the top of regeneration tower, CO2 will go out. Other players use a similar mechanism. But there are know-hows, which cannot be disclosed, and other small features, which are unique to their company. And actually, there are many mechanisms that we have as know-how, on top of such schematic diagram. And customers are not looking at pilot tests, rather they are looking at a commercial track record. So they're looking at commercial operations going forward, and these are the voices of our customers. And this is a summary of that. I hope you would read it at your leisure. And we have experience of a commercial operation and the capture capacity of approximately 200 to 5,000 tonnes a day in total of 13 plants, and the customers are evaluating our track record quite highly. They rely on us, and we believe it is important to expand such customer base. So on this slide, this is a little different perspective. Now, the capturing CO2 from the exhaust gas. 5 years ago, we were thinking how to capture the gas from coal-fired power generation. It was a very simple image. But now, we have to be omnidirectional. We have to think about the various industry fields. So what would be the size and what are the obstacles? So here, we need to really organize and summarize all of those. And we try to do it and described in this graph. The horizontal axis is the sizes, from small to large, that is the CO2-capturing facility equipment, and the vertical axis is the difficulty of capturing CO2 from exhaust gas. The bottom is normal, and the top is more difficult or higher difficulty. So when you see the blue lines, shipping steel and cement, we are having the feasibility studies and also the verifications. And based on our track record, we do not have a lot of track record in those -- in this area. So we really need to work on increasing the experiences through the verifications and experiments and so forth. Now as for the green line, this is where we already have the track record. So based on our experiences, we can actually apply. So, for example, coal-fired power generation and biomass and others. So those are the areas that we have a good coverage. The orange part is the development stage. So we still do not have a lot of experiences here. So in terms of capacity, the scale is smaller. So if we do the preprocessing well, maybe we can expand this. So that's what we are trying to do, right now. So through our efforts, we want to expand the application so that we can expand our portfolio in the future. Now on this slide, those are the things that we are actually doing right now. From the top, the coal and gas power generation, world largest CO2 capture plant, for example, the Petra Nova in Texas, in the United States, 5,000 tonnes and so forth, and biomass, over 8 trillion tonnes per year. This is still in the planning stage. This is a U.K. company, Drax. And we have gotten agreement there. As for the LNG liquefaction, NextDecade is an example. This is to contribute to the low-carbon production of LNG production. In Lehigh Cement, we're having the feasibility study in the field, with high technical difficulty. As for steel, this is a difficult area. So this is something that we will be doing, and we have started to work on this. And as for shipping, we have released -- made the press release. This is a world's first verification of onboard CO2 capture. It is of very small scale, but we are trying to get the feedback from this right now. As for the waste incineration and the gas engines and small boilers, we would make this into more modular system, and we are currently developing this system. So in all of those areas, CO2 -- in the area of the CO2 capture, we are one of the leading company. And as a top runner, we would like to offer a wide range of technologies. Now we'd like to show you a video clip of the major biomass player, Drax. We have Mr. Will Gardiner's short video to share with you. [Presentation]

So that was CEO of Drax. Next is about CO2NNECT. Let me briefly explain this. Now this framework connecting the CCUS so that we can build better, economically viable solutions. So maybe we don't have to do this, but I think this is a very important area. So by making efforts, I think we can reinvigorate the overall supply chain. So this is another area that we would like to work very hard in. Now those are the major components of the CCUS value chain. On the right, we have a sketch. The left is the emission or emitter, and then we have capture, the capture operator. And then, we do the liquefaction, and then, we will put it in the tank and transport it in the carrier. And then, on the other side, after the delivery, we would unload and then compress for the storage or for the conversion or utilization. This is the overall image of the CCUS value chain. And so say that this is the total picture. And what MHI can cover right now, what is the range of it. From the left, the capture of the CO2, which I talked about until now. And then, CO2 liquefaction, yes, partly we do that. And the transportation by the carrier, the large CO2 carrier. This is something that we are developing right now and CO2 tanks and CO2 compressors. And for the utilization, we have a fertilizer plant. For example, we already have the track record there. So there are many areas that we can make contributions. Now when you look at the CCUS value chain or businesses, it is still at the beginning. So the CO2 capture, transportation and storage or conversion, utilization, it is very much segmented business. It's just a one-to-one business until now. That is the current status. So in the future, for example, in U.K., hub and cluster type will develop so that as a CCUS business, to do everything as a whole will emerge. So MHI, supplying the individual technologies and products are something that we would do, of course. But we like to foster the CCUS industries, and we want to do many things. I would explain this later. That is the digital platform, for example, called CO2NNEX, so that we can start up the market quickly and so reduce the GHGs, and we want to make a contribution in that area. Now CO2NNEX, I just touched upon this. This is to visualize -- this is a platform to visualize CO2 distribution. This May we announced -- made announcement, together with IBM, about the concept. So real world and the digital world, in both of them, we want to visualize the CO2. And so we would like to add value to this emitted or harmful CO2. So together with IBM, we are trying to think about the various things. On the left, as you see, right now, some companies are working together with us so that we can start the demonstrations in Japan and overseas. This effort has just started, but I think this concept has a lot of potential. So it's a platform. So that's something that we'd like to do from now on. So this is a global overview, which can be realized by CO2NNEX. As is mentioned on the left-hand side, CO2NNEX is a smart meter. It visualizes actual CCUS in cyberspace, using blockchain technology and IoT-connected smart meters. So certificates and evidence testimonials can be offered in different stages. In building the platform, CO2 trading has to be visualized. As was mentioned earlier, using smart meters and IoT, using blockchain technology, visualization of the trading should be done. So that information can be offered to different businesses as well as investors. So who is making how much effort? That can be visualized in this system. And also, on top of that, not just evidence, but also the actual trading, that is to say, the suppliers and consumers can be matched. And we hope that as such, expansion will be realized using this platform. There are many things that have to be realized before reaching our objectives, but this is the initiative that we are working on. And I would like to introduce to you Mr. Yamaguchi of IBM Japan. We have received a video message from him.

Last year, Mitsubishi Heavy Industry decided to make energy transition as one of the pillars in its strategy. We have been working on energy issues for many years. we had strong desire to give contribution to the realization of this concept. So we decided to work together, in compiling the concept. As a result of the conceptualization, responding to high expectation, CO2NNEX was born, integrating MHI's physical infrastructure and the digital network, built by IBM. This is a digital platform that visualizes the entire value chain, covering CO2 capture to recycling on realtime basis. It will create a new market for CO2 and accelerate the realization of carbon neutrality, while taking advantage of our experience in collaboration with global customers and IBM blockchain, hybrid cloud, AI and our insight as a consultant coping with digital transformation, we will promote building the architecture of CO2NNEX, together with MHI. Lastly, digital society cannot be realized by a single entity. It is in indispensable that multi-businesses form consortium going beyond the boundaries of industries per collaboration. CO2NNEX is an initiative that promotes collaboration beyond the boundaries of enterprises and business sectors. We're determined to build a platform with MHI, so that many companies can participate. We will aim for realization of carbon neutrality and acceleration of the industrial growth.

Next we'd like to talk about CO2NVERT. The possibilities for CO2 utilization in CCU. We would like to introduce to you our initiatives and options of utilization of CO2. Captured CO2 will be subject to conversion and utilization, and this diagram shows the flow, the path of conversion and the path towards direct use. The synthetic fuels, chemicals, building materials, these are the application area for CO2 conversion. And as for direct use of CO2, can be used for greenhouses or manufacturing of solvents, heat-transfer fluids and use of CO2 for refrigeration, supercritical power systems. This is considered. And on top of the experience of a CO2 conversion in the area of synthetic fuels and chemicals, unfortunately, we have not gone to the stage where CO2NVERT can be discussed much yet, and we do not stick to the idea of doing everything on our own. As was mentioned by Mr. Yamaguchi of IBM, it is necessary to enter into partnership with different businesses to expand the activity. So we are making investment in start-ups for such purpose. And various consideration is given on CO2 utilization. We will make every effort to enrich our portfolio. We shouldn't be standing on too-long perspective. We would like to think of the utilization of CO2 in a different application. And our business initiatives in CCU from the source of emission, CO2 is captured, and for conversion and for utilization, we will go through the path. And this is a plant factory for direct use of CO2. And based upon a CO2 capture, we are trying to meet the needs of the customers in their local area. Carbon neutrality is our target by improving all those technologies. And we should not stick to a certain technology alone, we believe that we should focus on matching between ourselves and the needs of the customers, and we'd like to expand the menu of the use of captured CO2. And towards realization, of what I have been mentioning, this is the timeline. The top part is CCUS technology/service development, and the lower part shows business model. The light blue shows the proof-of-concept stage, and the gray part shows the commercialization stage. The top KS-1 CO2 capture plant, already, we have experience, and we have a track record. So this is an existing business, already happening. And KS-21 CO2 capture plant. And amongst that, the proof-of-concept activities are over. So it can move towards commercialization stage, and small CO2 capture equipment, modular CO2 capture systems are to be introduced. And CO2 small-size vessels, the equipment can be used on such vessel. And from 2023, we would like to start commercialization. And LCO2 carrier, in August, with a total engineering, we have started a feasibility study. And also, last month, we issued a press release on a liquid CO2 carrier, and development activities should be completed around 2022 so that we will be able to move on to commercialization. And the timing for CO2NNEX is almost the same. Distribution platform, proof-of-concept is now being done, and we're proceeding with discussion with potential partners. So we believe that we can publish a release at an earlier stage for CO2NNEX as well. And as a business model, we're working on technology provider and how we can handle CCUS as a business. First of all, with SUEZ, we're working on developing a business model, and we have concluded MOU for joint study. So as such, we would like to deal with a CCUS business. Well, thank you very much for your kind attention. 2050 is a target year to achieve carbon neutrality. And CCUS is essential to achieve carbon neutrality. So CCUS technology is the technology that many companies are working on, and we should expand the area of CCUS. MHI Group has developed broad portfolio, and we would like to make a further contribution as a global leader. [Statements in English on this transcript were spoken by an interpreter present on the live call.]