"Japan to propose carbon capture rules with ASEAN, Australia" 22 June 2023

The Japanese government will propose creating common rules governing carbon capture and storage with Australia and Southeast Asia, Nikkei has learned, in a bid to lead the technology's deployment in the region.

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will present draft rules on Saturday at the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) meeting in Indonesia. AZEC is composed of 11 countries, including Japan, Australia and all members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations except Myanmar.

The adoption of shared rules is expected to lower operating costs of carbon capture facilities and shorten construction times. Because Japan and Southeast Asia are heavily reliant on fossil fuels for electricity, carbon capture and storage will be vital for reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

There are no clear standards for how much carbon dioxide needs to be captured and stored to achieve a 1 tonne reduction in CO2. This is because carbon capture facilities themselves emit carbon, and there is the risk of stored carbon leaking out.

Japan will propose shared metrics to solve this problem. The rules would also set safety criteria for storage facility locations, methods for measuring stored carbon volume, and a monitoring process for leaks.

AZEC members will discuss the rules, then a detailed proposal will be presented in the AZEC ministerial meeting slated for early next year in Japan.

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Japan is considering providing ASEAN countries technological support through state-backed Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corp.