Toray Industries announced that Japan’a Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has selected the company’s project to build a gigawatt-class mass production system for electrolyte membranes used in water electrolyzer for the Green Transformation Supply Chain Development Support Program. That initiative furthers the aims of a national policy to decarbonize Japan while promoting economic growth.

Toray has been developing mass production technologies and businesses for these membranes, as part of which it innovated a hydrocarbon-based electrolyte membrane featuring high proton conductivity and low gas permeability. This breakthrough greatly improves the performance of PEM (Polymer Electrolyte Membrane) water electrolyzer, a vital technology for green transformations in industry.

Toray is collaborating with Yamanashi Prefecture and nine other companies to develop technologies for a large power-to-gas system through a project that the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization’s Green Innovation Fund is backing.

That effort seeks to decarbonize the Suntory Natural Water Minami Alps Hakushu Water Plant and the Suntory Hakushu Distillery in Hokuto, Yamanashi Prefecture. February 2024 saw the installation of a 16-megwatt power-to-gas system, which modularizes PEM water electrolyzer that can safely convert renewable energy into hydrogen. This system makes it possible to transition boilers and other high-energy-consuming equipment from fossil fuels to hydrogen.

The ministry approved Toray’s ¥56-billion (US$358-million) investment plan to achieve a production capacity exceeding 10 gigawatts in terms of water electrolyzer capacity for hydrocarbon-based electrolyte membranes by fiscal 2028. With the increasing utilization of renewable energy, the market size of PEM water electrolyzer is expected to expand, and the market for electrolyte membranes is anticipated to grow to more than ¥100 billion (US$639 million) annually in the early 2030s. Toray seeks to become the top supplier of electrolyte membranes in the PEM water electrolyzer market, helping to realize a hydrogen economy.

Partner companies are Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Incorporated, TEPCO Energy Partner, Incorporated, Kanadevia Corporation, Siemens Energy K.K., Kaji Technology Corporation, Miura Co., Ltd., Suntory Holdings Limited, Nichicon Corporation, Yamanashi Hydrogen Company, Inc.