Tsubame BHB Starts Ammonia Supply to Mitsubishi

Tsubame BHB Starts Ammonia Supply to Mitsubishi

Tsubame BHB Co., Ltd., a deep‑tech spin‑out from the Institute of Science Tokyo (formerly Tokyo Institute of Technology), announced that its first commercial‑scale demonstration plant, installed at INPEX Corporation’s Kashiwazaki Hydrogen Park in Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture, has moved from trial operation to full production and began supplying ammonia to Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, Inc. on 23 October 2026.

The plant employs Tsubame BHB’s proprietary electride catalyst technology, developed by Honorary and Institute Professor Hideo Hosono. The catalyst enables ammonia synthesis at temperatures of 300 °C to 400 °C—approximately 100 °C lower than conventional Haber‑Bosch processes—and at pressures of 3 MPa to 5 MPa, roughly one‑tenth of the typical 10–30 MPa range. This reduction in temperature and pressure allows a smaller equipment footprint, facilitating distributed, on‑site production that can use locally sourced water, air and electricity, and can generate either green or blue ammonia depending on the hydrogen and power sources.

The commencement of supply marks the first practical deployment of the technology in an external commercial setting. Tsubame BHB has already secured orders for two ammonia synthesis plants in Japan, including the Kashiwazaki facility, and is actively pursuing memoranda of understanding for additional projects in Brazil and India.

President and CEO Koji Nakamura said the transition to production is a milestone for the electride catalyst technology, which originated in a university laboratory, and affirmed the company’s intention to accelerate deployment of distributed ammonia production both domestically and internationally.

The company was founded in April 2017 as a carve‑out from Ajinomoto Co., Inc., and its mission is to translate original laboratory technology into societal applications by enabling low‑temperature, low‑pressure ammonia synthesis for on‑site use.