Japan has unveiled the world's largest hydrogen fuel cell project for aircraft, amid huge government pledges to make green aviation technology a reality.

The project, which is receiving 17.3 billion yen ($110 million) in funding from the Japanese government, is dedicated to developing a massive 4-megawatt fuel cell propulsion system for aircraft, with plans to demonstrate a prototype within 5 years.

This project is a big step towards achieving the dream of flying without emissions, but some experts still doubt the feasibility of using pure hydrogen as fuel for long-distance aircraft.

The goal is to develop a 4-megawatt fuel cell electric propulsion system for aircraft, which is funded by 17.3 billion yen ($110 million) from the Japanese government.

The most prominent partners in the project are the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and IHI.

US gas imports reached 8 billion cubic feet per day in 2023 and came mainly from Canada via pipelines, down 3% year-on-year.

America's imports of Canadian gas, which exceed US natural gas exports to the neighboring country, help support seasonal fluctuations in gas consumption in the United States, generally peaking in January or February each year.

Imports from Canada in the first two months of 2023 were down 6% compared to the same period in 2022, partly due to milder winter weather and thus lower gas consumption in America.

Forest fires in western Canada during April and May 2023 also led to a decline in exports to America by 9% on an annual basis.

On the other hand, US imports of liquefied gas are much lower than imports via pipelines; The country has imported less than 0.1 billion cubic feet per day over the past two years, almost all of which goes to the New England region.