Mitsubishi Heavy Industries,  has set a target to achieve zero CO₂ emissions from the plants at its Mihara Machinery Works  by the end of fiscal 2023 , aiming to realize carbon neutrality throughout the Mihara District. The move reflects MHI Group’s strong determination to carry out “MISSION NET ZERO,” its commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions resulting from all Company business activities by 2040, and also indicates the feasibility of accomplishing that task.

The three plants located within the Mihara Machinery Works – the Itozaki, Kohama and Wadaoki plants – together emit some 10,000 tons of CO₂ per year. To achieve carbon neutrality at the Mihara Machinery Works as a whole, MHI plans to satisfy its total power demand using non-fossil energy sources: namely, photovoltaic (PV) facilities to be installed under a power purchase agreement (PPA) with electric utilities.

The Mihara Machinery Works is also to be used as a base for developing MHI Group’s technologies for achieving carbon neutrality: electrification of heat sources, fuel conversion, etc. Mihara’s three plants will be dynamically and innovatively upgraded to incorporate the Company’s carbon neutral solutions, making the Mihara Machinery Works 100% carbon neutral.

With these various initiatives, the Mihara Machinery Works will acquire the potential to serve as a prime model case for business corporations, organizations and other entities aspiring to decarbonization. Installation of MHI’s carbon neutral solutions will reduce CO₂ emissions in Mihara by an amount equivalent to what 700,000 cedar trees absorb in a year, and going forward further possibilities will be explored for collaborating with electric utilities in developing and proposing additional carbon neutral solutions.

Two factors are indispensable for realizing 100% carbon neutral factories: installation of carbon neutral solutions based on highly detailed analysis of carbon emission sources, and application of advanced technologies and mechanisms. Moving forward, MHI Group will apply the practical experience gained at its production facilities to demonstrate its technologies for realizing carbon neutrality – electrification of heat sources, fuel conversion, etc. – and to develop and propose solutions for incorporating renewable and other decarbonized energy sources. In these ways, the Company will make positive contributions to reducing CO₂emissions on a global scale and realizing a carbon neutral society.