In addition to reducing GHG emissions, Osaka Soda is moving forward with reducing energy use and increasing the efficiency of energy use. Our goal is to increase the percentage of non-fossil electricity to 59% in fiscal 2030 in line with the revised Act on Rational Use of Energy.
Osaka Soda is working to improve electricity intensity by increasing electrolyzer efficiency through modifications to existing facilities. In fiscal 2023, we improved electrolyzer efficiency at the Matsuyama Plant and Okayama Plant, work on which started in the previous fiscal year, and introduced high-efficiency electric facilities at the Amagasaki Plant. As for updating aging facilities, Osaka Soda plans to reduce energy consumption by adopting more efficient equipment, and will move forward with increasing the efficiency of equipment, including electrolyzers and electrical equipment.
The Group conducts educational activities to increase knowledge and awareness of energy efficiency through the energy conservation committees and RC committees at each business site. Furthermore, the Group has set uncovering energy efficiency themes as an annual target for each department. In addition to reducing steam use through the collection of waste heat and cutting energy use through the introduction of LEDs, which we have done in the past, we added heat insultation for facilities as an energy efficiency theme and reduced the use of steam in equipment such as electrolysis facilities in fiscal 2023.
In addition to considering the introduction of high-efficiency equipment when updating facilities, Osaka Soda aims to reduce energy use by streamlining production processes and laborsaving measures, and reduce GHG emissions by utilizing clean energy. In fiscal 2023, energy use was about 166 thousand kL (crude oil equivalent), a decrease of approximately 26.2% year on year. We will continue to strive to reduce energy use through the streamlining of production process.
As one of its alternate energy measures is to make use of hydrogen generated from soda electrolysis, Osaka Soda installed 5 hydrogen boilers. Fuel use was reduced by about 5,300 kL (equivalent to 14,000 t-CO2) on a crude oil equivalent basis in fiscal 2023 through the use of hydrogen boilers.
