ENEOS Awarded Contract for the FY2026 Survey and Study Project on Deep-Sea Storage of Blue Carbon, etc.
- ENEOS Holdings
- Sustainability
ENEOS Holdings, Inc. (hereinafter "ENEOS") announces that it has been awarded the contract for the FY2026 Survey and Study Project on Deep-Sea Storage of Blue Carbon, etc.*1 (hereinafter the "Project") by the Ministry of the Environment. ENEOS will undertake the Project jointly with IDEA Consultants, Inc. (hereinafter "IDEA"), the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (hereinafter "AIST"), the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (hereinafter "JAMSTEC"), and the Port and Airport Research Institute (hereinafter "PARI") of the National Institute of Maritime, Port and Aviation Technology.
The purpose of the Project is to accumulate scientific data and knowledge through conducting surveys and studies on the behavior of seaweed in deep-sea areas and their impact on the surrounding environment in order to support the implementation in society of large-scale blue carbon initiatives*2, which are expected to serve as significant CO2 sinks.
ENEOS has been conducting studies toward the realization of large-scale blue carbon initiatives, which are expected to serve as significant CO2 sinks, under the FY2025 Survey and Study Project on CCUS Utilizing Marine Resources*3. In the Project, based on the results of these studies, ENEOS will expand the scope of its surveys and studies to further enhance knowledge on carbon storage in deep-sea areas. Specifically, ENEOS will conduct field surveys to understand the behavior of seaweed in the deep sea and responses in the surrounding environment, as well as studies using simulation models to estimate carbon storage volumes and assess impacts. In the field surveys, ENEOS plans to use autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to monitor the behavior of seaweed in deep-sea areas.
ENEOS has been advancing the certification and acquisition of carbon credits (J-Blue Credits) through seagrass and seaweed bed restoration projects, and studies on the creation of large-scale blue carbon through industry-government-academia collaboration*4. By applying the knowledge gained through these initiatives, ENEOS will accelerate initiatives toward the social implementation of large-scale blue carbon through the Project.
<Implementation Structure for the Project>
The ENEOS Group, together with the government and society, is promoting the reduction of its greenhouse gas emissions. We aim to achieve a 73% reduction compared with FY2013 levels, in line with the government's target, by around FY2040, and carbon neutrality for our operational emissions by FY2050. Going forward, ENEOS will continue to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through initiatives to increase natural CO2 absorption, with the goal of realizing a carbon-neutral society.
*1 April 10, 2026, FY2026 Survey and Study Project on Deep-Sea Storage of Blue Carbon
*2 The Plan for Global Warming Countermeasures, approved by the Cabinet on February 18, 2025, states a policy of promoting consideration of the possibility of initiatives involving offshore blue carbon, which is expected to serve as a significant sink, whereby greenhouse gases are absorbed by producing and growing seaweed, stored and fixed in the deep sea, and the amounts absorbed are calculated and evaluated.
*3 May 20, 2025: Contract for the FY2025 Survey and Study Project on CCUS Utilizing Marine Resources Awarded to ENEOS Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of ENEOS Holdings, Inc.
*5 A group company of AIST, responsible for environmental surveys and overall technical support