By Motoko Hasegawa

March 26, 2024 - Japan's largest power producer by capacity Jera has pushed back a trial to co-fire 20pc of fuel ammonia with coal at its Hekinan power plant to after April.

Jera previously said the co-firing demonstration at the 1GW Hekinan No.4 unit will start on 26 March at the earliest. But the company has decided to push this back.

The trial will begin sometime after the end of this month, Jera said on 25 March. It took more time to test run equipment ahead of the demonstration, with safety the main priority, it added.

It is unclear when exactly the company will start the trial to co-fire 20pc of ammonia with coal.

Jera aims to demonstrate 20pc co-firing of ammonia with coal ahead of planned commercial operations in the April 2027-March 2028 fiscal year. It also hopes to achieve a 50pc mixture on a commercial basis in the first half of the 2030s.