Sumitomo Heavy Industries : Commencement of Commissioning Operations for the Niihama Gasification Pilot Test Facility

About this update from Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd.

August 24, 2026 Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd. (Head Office: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Toshiro Watanabe; hereinafter "SHI") has newly constructed a gasification pilot test facility at its Ehime Works, Niihama Plant in Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture, and has commenced commissioning operations. Utilizing this facility, SHI will support customers in evaluating the commercial viability of projects and the introduction of gasification plants by conducting demonstration tests on a wide range of feedstocks and verifying optimal process configurations. Building on its extensive experience in Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB) and Bubbling Fluidized Bed (BFB) combustion technologies, which have been successfully deployed in numerous projects worldwide, SHI has developed proprietary fluidized bed gasification technology capable of processing a broad range of woody biomass and recycled feedstocks. Since the 1980s, SHI has supplied multiple gasification facilities, primarily in Europe. In recent years, amid changes in the global energy landscape and accelerating decarbonization efforts, securing sustainable carbon resources as alternatives to fossil-based feedstocks has become an increasingly important societal challenge. Through this new facility, SHI will accumulate data on the gasification characteristics of various feedstocks and the quality of the produced syngas. Leveraging these insights, SHI will propose optimal plant configurations tailored to customers' business plans, thereby supporting the production of sustainable fuels and chemicals and contributing to the resolution of critical social and environmental challenges. Main Specifications of the Niihama Gasification Pilot Test Facility Gasifier Type Fluidized Bed Gasifier Feedstock Processing Capacity 2.4 tonnes/day Applicable Feedstocks Various biomass materials and other recycled feedstocks Gasification Agents Air, oxygen, and steam Looking ahead, SHI will accelerate its expansion into the bio-liquid fuels market, including biomethanol and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), where demand is expected to grow significantly. Through the development of sustainable fuel production systems centered on its fluidized bed gasification technology, SHI remains committed to contributing to a stable energy supply and the realization of a decarbonized society.

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