January 03, 2024
By Julian Atchison

Mazda includes ammonia fuel in future energy roadmap

Liquid ammonia fuel to power Hiroshima manufacturing plant

Mazda’s medium-term carbon neutrality roadmap. Liquid ammonia fuel will replace coal combustion to power its Hiroshima manufacturing complex, falling under the light brown “renewable energy” decarbonisation pillar. Source: Mazda.

Japanese car manufacturer Mazda has detailed medium-term targets to achieve carbon neutrality across its global operations. Mazda reports that around 75% of its total CO₂ emissions are caused by operations in Japan, including its global HQ and key car manufacturing complex in Hiroshima. The Hiroshima site is currently powered by the MCM Energy Service coal power plant, a 132 MW facility part-owned by Mitsubishi & Mazda. Mazda plans to completely substitute the fuel supply at this power plant away from coal by 2035, enabling “power generation based solely on the combustion of liquid ammonia”.

Power purchase agreements for additional renewable electricity will complement this switch, with Mazda aiming to eliminate 75% of its current coal use by 2030. Mazda is part of the group steering the conversion of the Namikata Terminal to become an ammonia import & distribution hub for Japan.

Mazda will move forward with carbon neutral initiatives in line with our plans to contribute to the reduction of CO₂ emissions and the prevention of global warming across all of our processes including manufacturing transportation, usage, and recycling/disposal, as we believe that such efforts are a core responsibility of automotive manufacturers. Through these three pillars, Mazda is aiming to achieve carbon neutral at all of its global plants by 2035 and will attempt to achieve carbon neutral throughout the entire supply chain by 2050, contributing to the lasting coexistence with our planet.

Takeshi Mukai, Director and Senior Managing Executive Officer at Mazda in his organisation’s official press release, 14 Dec 2023

As well as the introduction of renewable energy via ammonia fuel & electricity PPAs, there are two additional pillars to Mazda’s strategy: energy efficiency savings across its production sites, and a shift to biofuels for vehicle operations.