20 December 2012
Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation
INPEX CORPORATIONJX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation
Japan Petroleum Exploration Co., Ltd
COSMO OIL CO., LTD
NIPPON STEEL & SUMIKIN ENGINEERING CO., LTDChiyoda Corporation

JAPAN-GTL Process won The Japan Institute ofEnergy Award 2012 in Technical Division

Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC), INPEX CORPORATION,JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation, Japan Petroleum Exploration Co., Ltd, COSMOOIL CO., LTD, NIPPON STEEL & SUMIKIN ENGINEERING CO., LTD and Chiyoda
Corporation (JOGMEC and aforementioned six private sector companies are referred toas “Seven Companies”) won the Japan Institute of Energy (JIE) Award 2012 inTechnical Division for the establishment of a JAPAN-GTL (Gas to Liquids) Process.

The JIE was founded in 1921 with the aim of contributing to the progress of science andtechnology related to fuel or energy, and played a role as the sole authoritative
professional society in developing fuel and energy industrial economy. The JIE holds
approximately 1,400 members. The awards in Academic Division and in Technical
Division are given to an individual or organization who has achieved distinguished resultin the area of academic or technical field.
GTL is a technology that converts natural gas into liquid petroleum products, and isconsidered to be a highly effective method for securing alternative fuel source anddiversification of energy supplies. The fuels produced by GTL technology are also
expected to be environmentally-friendly clean fuels.
The award was decided from the following three points which are highly appreciated:(i) the three main processes of the JAPAN-GTL (Syngas Production, FT Synthesis,
Hydrotreating/Upgrading) were developed based on

the technology originated inJapan, (ii) it can contribute to enhancement of energy security for Japan and help
Japanese companies acquire

oil and natural gas assets overseas, and (iii) theJAPAN-GTL Process is a groundbreaking technology that would, for the first time, allow
natural gas containing carbon dioxide to be directly used in a GTL conversion.

It is the second time award-winning for the JAPAN-GTL Process since it won“Distinguished Contribution Awards” at the 77th Annual General Meeting of The
Japanese Association for Petroleum Technology on 5 June 2012.
Seven Companies conducted JAPAN-GTL Demonstration Test from 2006, and throughthe demonstration test at a GTL demonstration plant in Niigata City from April 2009 toDecember 2011, it verified high-grade performances of both GTL processes andcatalysts for each process through more than 10,000 hours of demonstration operations,and achieved stable continuous operations for more than 3,000 hours as operation
target. Through series of demonstration test, Seven Companies have established theJAPAN-GTL Process as an applicable technology to commercial plants.
Seven Companies will further continue studies of the JAPAN-GTL Process for futurecommercialization.
1.

About the Award
Award: The Japan Institute of Energy Award 2012, Technical Division
Subject of Research: Establishment of a JAPAN-GTL Process

2.

The Award Ceremony
Date: February 26 2013
Place: Gakushikaikan, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo[Outline of JAPAN-GTL Process]
GTL is short for Gas-To-Liquids. GTL is a technology that uses natural gas as the raw
material and produces petroleum products such as naphtha, diesel oil and kerosene
through chemical reactions. JAPAN-GTL features in utilizing carbon dioxide as raw
material, so that it is a groundbreaking technology that would for the first time ever allow
for natural gas containing carbon dioxide to be used directly for conversion.

Main process facilities:
 Syngas Producing Section
FT (Fischer-Tropsch) synthesis Section

Upgrading (hydrotreating) Section