Metropolitan CCS has received approval from Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry to carry out exploratory drilling offshore Kujukuri on the eastern coast of Chiba Prefecture for a carbon capture and storage project.

The approval was issued under the Act on Carbon Dioxide Storage Business after the offshore Kujukuri area was designated as a specified zone in September 2025. Following the acceptance of applications for exploratory drilling permits in that area, Metropolitan CCS, a joint venture between Inpex Corporation and Kanto Natural Gas Development, was selected as the operator for the drilling work.

The drilling campaign is intended to identify geological formations suitable for CO2 storage within the designated offshore area. The Metropolitan Area CCS project is designed to capture CO2 from several industrial sources, including the Kimitsu Area of Nippon Steel Corporation’s East Nippon Works and other industries in the Keiyo Industrial Complex, then transport the captured CO2 by pipeline for offshore storage near Kujukuri.

The joint venture is working toward the start of CO2 storage in the early 2030s under the Engineering Design Work for Advanced CCS Projects commissioned by JOGMEC. It said drilling operations would proceed with safety as the priority while studies and engineering work continue for project commercialization, with the understanding and cooperation of local fisheries, community stakeholders, local governments, and related organizations.

The first well, Kujukuri-Oki A, is expected to be drilled in about four months. The second well, Kujukuri-Oki B, is planned around three months later. Target formations include the cap rock of the Ohara Formation within the Kazusa Group, as well as the reservoir and cap rock sections from the Namihana Formation to the Kurotaki Formation.

The first well is expected to reach about 1,900 m below sea level, while the second is planned to extend to about 1,600 m below sea level. Drilling will be carried out with a jack-up drilling barge. After the first well is drilled at a site about 5 km offshore Kujukuri Town, the barge will move to a location about 13 km offshore for the second well.