International Training

Promotion of Hydrogen Energy Use `Energy Policy Towards Hydrogen-Based CO2 Free Society`
The cheerful group learning about hydrogen

Feb.2‚ 2023 to Mar.9‚ 2023

Yoichi TAWARA‚ Course leader

Photo at Site Visit 1


Photo at Site Visit 2
Interest in the use of hydrogen energy is rapidly growing as countries around the world carry out initiatives aimed at creating a decarbonized society. Kyushu has been ahead of the times in the action it has taken‚ such as the establishment of the Fukuoka Strategy Conference for Hydrogen Energy in 2004‚ and the launch of the Kitakyushu Hydrogen Town demonstration project in 2011. We therefore focused on Kyushu in our first training course held in Japan‚ which was attended by eleven participants from ten countries (Argentina‚ Bolivia‚ Brazil‚ Costa Rica‚ Colombia‚ Chile‚ Mexico‚ Morocco‚ Serbia‚ and Ukraine). The participants were mainly government officials from energy-related ministries in their respective countries‚ or managers from companies and public institutions that supply energy. They came to Japan to explore challenges related to the energy structure of their country and the move towards decarbonization.


Photo at Site Visit 3
The content of the course consisted of a comprehensive lecture giving a birdfs-eye view of a society that utilizes hydrogen energy‚ and lectures covering the respective fields of gproducing‚h gstoring and transporting‚h and gutilizingh hydrogen. The lecturers were drawn from universities‚ government offices (state‚ prefectural‚ and municipal)‚ and businesses. The participants seem to have gained even more than they had hoped from the course thanks to lectures which covered global trends in the use of hydrogen energy and the latest technological trends in Japan‚ and field trips to many R&D and demonstration facilities. Even before they came to Japan‚ many of the participants were looking forward to visiting the demonstration facility in Namie-machi‚ Fukushima Prefecture. In addition‚ at the Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster Memorial Museum in Futaba Town‚ they learned about the reality of a serious disaster and were reminded of the importance of disaster prevention in energy facilities. Many of the participants are in charge of formulating their countryfs hydrogen strategies‚ and they had a very strong desire to learn. There was an endless flow of questions at the lectures and field trip briefings‚ and we often saw participants following the lecturer afterwards to ask additional questions. The lecturers told me how fulfilling they had found it to teach such a responsive group.


Photo at Training Accommodation
The participants seem to have gained a great deal of information and insights concerning the characteristics and potential of a society that utilizes hydrogen energy‚ and about the challenges that must be overcome. Based on the results of their training‚ at the end of the course each participant compiled an action plan on topics such as export of green hydrogen that takes advantage of the country's renewable energy potential and the characteristics of its industrial structure‚ and administrative measures (education‚ support‚ and guidance) aimed at realizing a hydrogen energy society.


Photo at Site Visit 4
Many of the participants were positive and cheerful‚ and by the end of the training course they were like one big family. I have high hopes of their activities going forward aimed at creating a society which utilizes hydrogen energy.