Metropolitan CCS Cleared to Drill CO2 Storage Wells off Japan
April 16, 2026
The Metropolitan CCS joint venture, which includes INPEX and Kanto Natural Gas Development, has received approval to conduct offshore drilling for carbon capture and storage (CCS) off Japan’s Chiba Prefecture.
The Metropolitan CCS joint venture was designated operator for exploratory drilling offshore Kujukuri by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
The approval, granted under the country’s carbon dioxide storage legislation, allows the venture to drill wells to assess geological formations suitable for CO2 storage.
The project is part of a broader initiative to capture emissions from industrial sources, including facilities in the Keiyo Industrial Complex, transport the CO2 by pipeline and store it offshore.
The drilling program will include two wells, with depths of about 1,900 meters and 1,600 meters below sea level, targeting formations within the Kazusa Group.
Operations will be carried out using a jack-up drilling barge, with drilling expected to take about four months for the first well and three months for the second.
The project aims to begin CO2 storage in the early 2030s as part of engineering and design work supported by the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security.
