Aichi Steel to Produce Hydrogen at Chita Plant with Water Electrolysis System
October 2, 2025
Hydrogen Project Flow at Aichi Steel
-
Renewable Energy Source (Eurus Energy)
-
Wind power generates clean electricity.
-
Electricity supplied to the electrolysis system.
-
-
Hydrogen Production (Toyota Tsusho, Eurus Energy, Iwatani)
-
Water electrolysis system (15 MW capacity) splits water into hydrogen.
-
-
Hydrogen Compression & Storage
-
Hydrogen is compressed and stored in dedicated tanks.
-
-
Hydrogen Supply (via pipeline)
-
Annual supply capacity: 1,600 tons H₂/year.
-
-
Utilization at Aichi Steel – Chita Plant
-
Low-carbon hydrogen replaces city gas.
-
Main use: fuel for steel furnaces and heating processes.
-
Toyota Tsusho, Eurus Energy Holdings (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo), and Iwatani Corporation have announced a joint initiative to develop an on-site low-carbon hydrogen production and supply model powered by renewable energy. On September 30, the three companies revealed plans to launch such a project for Aichi Steel.
The project involves the installation of a water electrolysis system at Aichi Steel’s Chita Plant (Tokai City, Aichi Prefecture), using electricity generated from a Eurus Energy-owned wind power plant. The produced low-carbon hydrogen will be used as a substitute for city gas currently consumed in some of Aichi Steel’s steel and iron material furnaces.
The electrolysis system will adopt PEM (Polymer Electrolyte Membrane) technology, manufactured and supplied by Chiyoda Corporation, and equipped with electrolyzer cells produced by Toyota Motor Corporation. The facility will have a total capacity of 15 MW (5 MW × 3 units), enabling the production of approximately 1,600 tons of hydrogen annually.
The three companies plan to establish a limited liability company in March 2027. Following equipment design and installation, the plant is expected to commence operations around 2030.
(Related article: Denso Fukushima to adopt “local production and consumption of hydrogen” as a replacement for LPG at its factory).
The project has been certified by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) under the program supporting price-gap coverage based on the Hydrogen Society Promotion Act. This scheme provides 15 years of support to offset the price difference between low-carbon hydrogen and conventional fuels.
Positioned as a key initiative to accelerate hydrogen deployment in the Chubu region, the project will see the three companies collaborate with the Chubu Hydrogen and Ammonia Social Implementation Promotion Council, making them among the first to supply low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia by around 2030.
