Three Japanese firms have tied up with an Australian energy giant to take carbon dioxide emitted in Japan and bury it in Australia in a project based on the concept of carbon capture and storage, or CCS.

Toho Gas, Sumitomo Corporation and Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha unveiled the plan with Woodside Energy. The companies will collect carbon dioxide produced in central Japan, liquefy it and ship it to Australia, where it will be stored deep underground.

Toho Gas said the project aims to gather and store one to five million tons of carbon dioxide annually by 2030.

CCS is expected to play a major role in achieving carbon neutrality. The Japanese government targets burying 12 million tons of carbon dioxide, or one percent of the nation's emissions, each year by 2030.