NGK Announces $106m Investment in Development Site

NGK Insulators, a leading company in ceramic technologies, has announced a significant investment of $106 million in a Co-Creation Centre and a Carbon Neutrality (CN)-Related Product Development Area. The new facilities, called the Atsuta site, will be located at NGK's head office in Mizuho, Japan.

The primary objective of the Co-Creation Centre is to promote open innovation and add value through the utilization of ceramic technologies. Construction is expected to be completed by May 2025, marking an important milestone for NGK's commitment to sustainable development.

As part of its investment, NGK plans to incorporate perovskite solar cells developed by EneCoat Technologies, a company in which NGK has invested. These solar cells will be installed at the Atsuta site, where NGK will conduct demonstration testing to evaluate their power generation performance.

Furthermore, NGK is currently constructing a new R&D building adjacent to the Co-Creation Centre. This building is scheduled to commence operations in June 2025. Ideas generated in the Co-Creation Centre will undergo evaluation and demonstration testing in the new R&D building, with the results being reexamined in the Co-Creation Centre.

NGK also plans to reorganize a portion of its existing area dedicated to the development and production of ceramic products for emission control. This area will be transformed into a space for the development and prototyping of new CN-related products.

One of NGK's ongoing projects is the development of ceramic substrates for Direct Air Capture (DAC), a technology that directly captures carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. The performance requirements for DAC substrates align closely with those for ceramics used in emission control. Leveraging its expertise in ceramic honeycomb structure technology, NGK aims to develop a substrate that efficiently adsorbs and desorbs CO2.

In parallel, NGK has initiated the development of technologies to coat CO2 adsorption materials onto the DAC ceramic substrate. The DAC area at the Atsuta site has been operational since November 2023, and NGK plans to further strengthen its development framework. The company aims to participate in demonstration testing by 2025 and establish a mass production system by 2030.

Looking ahead, NGK has set its sights on June 2025 to establish a new development area known as the separation membrane area. This area will focus on the development of sub-nano ceramic membranes that contribute to technologies such as Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS). NGK is committed to advancing efforts in developing CN-related products to support the transition towards a carbon-neutral future.