2023 Conference Presentations & Speakers
Keynote – Dolf Gielen, World Bank
We open our 2023 annual conference with a keynote from Dolf Gielen, Senior Energy Economist at the World Bank. Q&A moderated by Trevor Brown (Executive Director, AEA).
Ammonia can be a key clean hydrogen carrier for the coming decades. It offers the prospect of a new clean energy commodity that can be traded widely. However, such trade will depend critically on a harmonized international certification system for the embedded greenhouse gas emissions. This presentation will elaborate the market potential as well as the investment and financing needs based on new analysis. It will draw on the recent clean hydrogen certification experience to suggest solutions for the way ahead.
Dolf Gielen – Senior Energy Economist, The World Bank
Global Ammonia Certification As Enabler for Accelerated Investment and Financing
Panel – Certification for Offtake
This session examines the role of offtake agreements as a key element of project finance.
The AEA’s certification system will enable project developers to “pre-certify” an ammonia plant during the design and engineering stage, in advance of financial close. The panel will discuss the ways in which such pre-certification can best provide assurance that the delivered product will meet the requirements of offtakers, and support bankability for low-carbon ammonia plants in development.
Ed Davis – Senior Consultant to the Outreach and Business Development (OBD) Division, Loan Programs Office (LPO) from U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) & Consultant at the Pegasus Group
The Path: How An Application Becomes A Loan
Tomoaki Ichida – Managing Executive Officer (Americas), Mitsui O.S.K. Lines
Ammonia insights from maritime industry
Oleksiy Tatarenko – Senior Principal, Rocky Mountain Institute
Market Based Demand Creation Mechanisms and Certification
Dolf Gielen – Senior Energy Economist, The World Bank
Vibeke Rasmussen – AEA EVP President Elect / SVP Product Management & Certification, Yara (moderator)
Panel – Certification for Data Quality
This session will examine the need for high quality data as an input to certification, ensuring the accuracy and credibility of the certification system.
The AEA’s certification system will require data inputs from gas and electricity suppliers, as well as from CO2 offtakers and other users, in order to calculate an absolute carbon footprint. For some inputs, well-established standards and certification schemes exist (eg, electricity), although these might not be globally consistent; for other inputs, satisfactory data may be more difficult to collect today. Even with high quality inputs, some markets will require a higher standard of assurance than a digital certification scheme can supply, creating demand for physical verification layers. The credibility of the AEA’s proposed global certification system rests on the requirement that data used within the scheme is sufficiently robust, and that where there is a gap – for example, a lack of international standards – we are able to identify this gap and push for it to be addressed.
Lara Owens – Director of Science and Technology, MiQ
Impact of Methane on Natural gas and data quality
Jim Seely – Vice President of Oil & Gas Solutions, Authentix
Ammonia Authentication as a Key Component of the Certification Framework
Selim Cevikel – Principal Finance, Global CCS Institute
Rajiv Sabharwal – Vice President Of Business Development- Energy, Bureau Veritas
Bureau Veritas: Hydrogen & Ammonia certification scheme & label
Jennifer Beach – Co-founder & COO, Starfire Energy (moderator)
Ensuring upstream certification data quality
Certification – Methodology I: Scope & Core Energy Inputs
Our two Methodology sessions will explore the AEA’s certification methodology document (“Ammonia Carbon Footprint Calculation Methodology v1.0 Final Draft”), with AEA consultants Hinicio and the co-chairs of the AEA’s certification working groups. Our speakers will unpack and explain the newly-released document in discussion with the audience.
In this first session, we establish the foundations of the AEA’s methodology for carbon footprint calculations, including the Scope (well-to-gate, gate conditions) and requirements for Data Quality (certifying inputs, cutoff criteria, default values, etc.). We then unpack the concept of Core Energy Inputs (emissions accounting for single & multiple inputs, hybrid plants, batch and co-processing, etc.). Hincio representatives John Bonk & Antonio Parisi will introduce the topics, before the AEA’s certification co-chairs Nicholas Cook (CF Industries), Emile Herben (Yara Clean Ammonia), and Jakob Krummenacher (LSB Industries) lead an open audience discussion.
John Bonk – Analyst, Hinicio
Carbon Footprint Methodology: Scope & Data Quality, Core Energy Inputs
Antonio Parisi – Manager, Hinicio
Carbon Footprint Methodology: Scope & Data Quality, Core Energy Inputs
Nick Cook – Senior EHS and Quality Manager, CF Industries, AEA Certification Working Group co-chair
Emile Herben – Director Product Management & Certification, Yara Clean Ammonia, AEA Certification Working Group co-chair
Jakob Krummenacher – Director of Clean Energy, LSB Industries, AEA Certification Working Group co-chair
Safety & Regulation – Engagement and Education Best Practices
With more than 100 years of operations, the existing ammonia industry has substantial experience in engaging and educating local communities and government and non-governmental stakeholders on the development and safe operation of ammonia plants. In this interactive workshop session, we discuss safety, public perception, and local engagement in different countries and how this knowledge can support the development of new ammonia installations. As an outcome from this session, we will begin the development of a Best Practice outline for community and stakeholder engagement and public education.
Featuring:
Alex Gupta – Low-Carbon Fuel Safety Specialist, EPRI (rapid-fire presenter)
Ammonia Safety in End Use Applications
Naveed Qamar – HSEQ Manager, Yara Clean Ammonia (rapid-fire presenter)
Gary Smith – President & CEO, Ammonia Safety & Training Institute (rapid-fire presenter)
Ammonia Fuels – Safety and Emergency Management Training Plan
Rob Grant – Managing Director, Head of Projects, Pollination Group (rapid-fire presenter)
Aboriginal Clean Energy Partnership: East Kimberley Green Hydrogen Project
Alicia Eastman – President, InterContinental Energy (wrap-up panelist)
Jennifer Beach – Co-founder & COO, Starfire Energy (wrap-up panelist)
David Richardson – Vice President of Sales, Airgas Specialty Products (wrap-up panelist)
José Miguel Camelio – Corporate Innovation Management Director, Enaex (wrap-up panelist)
Linda Dempsey – Vice President, Public Affairs, CF Industries (session chair & moderator)
Technology – Emerging Low-carbon Ammonia Applications
Stakeholders in the energy transition are naturally focused on major new applications for ammonia, such as maritime fuel and power generation. With little fanfare, though, a variety of other applications for low-carbon ammonia are emerging. This session will focus on a few such applications. In the first part, representatives of companies in the vanguard will provide an overview of their development efforts. Ammonia for steel, PEM fuel cell refueling, glass manufacturing, aviation and combustion engine fuel will all be explored. The second part of the session will feature discussion of the technological and business challenges that the companies are encountering as they forge ahead, and the solutions they are developing. Common themes across the companies’ experiences will be identified, and lessons for parties from other industries will be suggested.
Featuring:
Hady Abdulhady – Director of Business Development and Sales, thyssenkrupp Uhde (rapid-fire presenter)
Bill David – CSO, Sunborne Systems, STFC Senior Fellow, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK, Professor of Energy Materials Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, University of Oxford (rapid-fire presenter)
Eduardo Briales – Product Manager, H2SITE (rapid-fire presenter)
Decentralized ammonia applications for hydrogen refueling stations: from technology to business
Masanobu Shirai – Manager – Carbon Neutral Technology & Strategy Office, AGC Inc. (rapid-fire presenter)
Development of fuel ammonia combustion technology in glass melting furnaces
Jon Gladin – Manager – Senior Research Engineer, Aerospace Systems Design Lab, Georgia Tech (rapid-fire presenter)
Ammonia Opportunities for Aviation
Georgy Eliseev – Principal Ammonia Analyst, Market Analysis and Strategy, S&P Global Commodity Insights (wrap-up panelist)
Blake Hurtik – Editorial Manager – Metals, Fertilizer and Chemicals, Argus Media (wrap-up panelist)
Alex Amin – Nitrogen Analyst, CRU Group (wrap-up panelist)
Stephen Crolius – President and Co-Founder, Carbon-Neutral Consulting (session chair & moderator)
Certification – Chain of Custody
To complement our two Methodology sessions, this session will explore issues related to implementation and scheme logistics, from pre-certification and issuance of a certificate, through the chain of custody, to certificate retirement.
Three areas will be explored: Pre-Certification & Auditing, Implementing Mass Balance and Incorporating Book & Claim, and Certificate Blending. Hincio representatives John Bonk and Antonio Parisi will introduce the topics, before representatives from companies taking part in the AEA’s certification case studies (TBA) lead the audience discussion.
John Bonk – Analyst, Hinicio
Antonio Parisi – Manager, Hinicio
Vibeke Rasmussen – AEA EVP President Elect / SVP Product Management & Certification, Yara
Trevor Brown – Executive Director, AEA
Safety & Regulation – Safety Regulations for Ammonia Terminals
In the Netherlands, the modernization of the PGS-12 standard will create a clear and transparent guideline for safe ammonia terminals in the country. In this interactive workshop session, we discuss how existing regulations should be and can be updated with a tangible example of PGS-12 guidelines. What is PGS-12? What updates were necessary to consider new ammonia applications? How can PGS-12 inform terminal design elsewhere? As an outcome from this session, we will use the discussion to structure a potential best practice guideline for port safety.
Featuring:
Stefano de Cillis – CTO, Proton Ventures (rapid-fire presenter)
PGS-12 NH3 Storage and Handling: code development methodology for a renewable future
Naveed Qamar – HSEQ Manager, Yara Clean Ammonia (rapid-fire presenter)
Monique Berrevoets-Steenbakker – Process Advisor, Antea Group (rapid-fire presenter)
PGS 12-Dutch Guidelines for ammonia terminal: applicable worldwide?
Philippe Lavagna – New Energies Terminals – Product Account Manager, Imodco/SBM Offshore (rapid-fire presenter)
Julian Terpitz – Product Development Manager, TGE Engineering (wrap-up panelist)
Hasan Yahya – Director of Engineering and Environment, Trigon (wrap-up panelist)
Paul Ramsey – Director, Engineering, Moda Midstream (wrap-up panelist)
Hans Vrijenhoef – President, AEA & ex-Chairman, Proton Ventures (session chair & moderator)
Technology – Establishing the Toolkit for Decarbonizing Existing Gas-based Ammonia Plants
Net zero ammonia production can be achieved through a combination of technologies, and this interactive workshop session seeks to establish a “toolkit” of options for existing plant owners. CCS combined with SMR or ATR, electrolysis and methane pyrolysis pathways will all be explored. We will also assess modifications to SMRs with hydrogen burners, electric heating in eSMR technology, the role of offsets and biogas coupled with CCS (which will also play a key role for urea production).
Featuring:
Jeremie Esquier – Market Director, Low Carbon Ammonia – Gas and Low Carbon Energies Business Line, Technip Energies (rapid-fire presenter)
Decarbonization solutions for existing SMRs
Dave Yeardye – Manager – Application Engineering, Field Development Engineering & Inside Sales, Thermon (rapid-fire presenter)
Electric Heating Solutions for SMR-Based Ammonia Plants
Francisco Jimenez Garcia – Senior Business Expert Green Ammonia, Accelera by Cummins (rapid-fire presenter)
Electrolyzer solutions play a fundamental role in Green and Hybrid Ammonia Plants
Lara Owens – Director of Science and Technology, MiQ (rapid-fire presenter)
Impact of Methane emission reductions from natural gas on Ammonia
Jorge Palomar – Global Hydrogen Development Director, Iberdrola (wrap-up panelist)
Brian Fuller – Head of Global Decarbonization Solutions, KBR (wrap-up panelist)
Kristine Clark – Director, Clean Energy Technology, CF Industries (wrap-up panelist)
Ermanno Filippi – CTO, Casale (wrap-up panelist)
Dennis Lippmann – President & CEO, thyssenkrupp Uhde USA (session chair & moderator)
Panel – Certification for Data not Labels
This session focuses on the need for a global certification system to provide data, not just labels, to satisfy a complex range of market requirements.
While the world appears to be steadily moving away from the simplistic color-coding categorization of hydrogen and ammonia, there is still considerable debate around what system might replace these labels. The AEA’s certification system is built around the principle that markets can be enabled when high quality data is collected and communicated, rather than obscured behind a label. This panel discussion will discuss the benefits and challenges of providing such data, and the different approaches being taken across various international markets.
Shigeru Muraki – Representative Director, Clean Fuel Ammonia Association
Pragmatic Approaches for Clean Fuel Ammonia
Wouter Vanhoudt – Head of Business Development, Hinicio
Hydrogen Purchase Agreements: Data requirements from case study H2Global
Linda Dempsey – Vice President, Public Affairs, CF Industries
Certification for Data, not Labels
Conor Fürstenberg Stott – Partner, Fürstenberg Maritime Authority
Certification for Data not Labels: Maritime perspectives
Alicia Eastman – President, InterContinental Energy (moderator)
Panel – Certification for Mandatory and Voluntary Markets
This session will focus on the various purposes that certification can serve, whether to meet consumer demands or the requirements of regulators.
The AEA’s ammonia certification system aims to enable ammonia producers, suppliers, and consumers to demonstrate product compliance (or non-compliance) with multiple different regulators and standards. This panel will explore some of these markets and their specific requirements, and discuss the challenge of satisfying different objectives within a single certification system.
Emily Wolf – Senior Director, Development, Ambient Fuels
Claire Behar – CCO, Hy Stor Energy
Domagoj Baresic – Research Fellow, UCL Energy Institute & Consultant, UMAS
2023 IMO GHG Strategy and considerations for certification
Patrick Hastwell – Director, Strategic Advisory – Energy Transition (Southern Europe and Africa), KBR
Madhav Acharya (moderator)
Certification for Mandatory and Voluntary Markets
Certification – Methodology II: CCS & CCU, Complexity
Our two Methodology sessions will explore the AEA’s certification methodology document (“Ammonia Carbon Footprint Calculation Methodology v1.0 Final Draft”), with AEA consultants Hinicio and the co-chairs of the AEA’s certification working groups. Our speakers will unpack and explain the newly-released document in discussion with the audience.
In this second session, we explore two more key areas for our certification scheme, digging deeper into the nuance and complexity of the methodology, including the treatment of CCS & CCU (definitions, long-term versus short-term, accounting for emissions, etc.) and broader issues of Complexity (allocation of emissions between multiple co-products, methane pyrolysis, application of the concept of dynamic plant splitting for partial urea production and variable rates of CCS, etc..). Hincio representative John Bonk will introduce the topics, before the AEA’s certification co-chairs Nicholas Cook (CF Industries), Emile Herben (Yara Clean Ammonia), and Jakob Krummenacher (LSB Industries) lead an open audience discussion.
John Bonk – Analyst, Hinicio
Carbon Footprint Methodology: CCUS definitions, Multifunctionality
Antonio Parisi – Manager, Hinicio
Carbon Footprint Methodology: CCUS definitions, Multifunctionality
Nick Cook – Senior EHS and Quality Manager, CF Industries, AEA Certification Working Group co-chair
Emile Herben – Director Product Management & Certification, Yara Clean Ammonia, AEA Certification Working Group co-chair
Jakob Krummenacher – Director of Clean Energy, LSB Industries, AEA Certification Working Group co-chair
Safety & Regulation – The Pathway to a Code for Ammonia as a Maritime Fuel
Before ammonia can be widely adopted as a maritime fuel, robust safety regulations and guidelines must be developed to govern vessel design, bunkering operations, and on-board storage and use. The industry has already developed such regulations for new fuels like LNG, LPG, and methanol. For ammonia – although the hazards are different – the process for developing these regulatory codes will be the same.
There is a strong case for gathering the lessons learned from previous development processes for new fuel regulations, and for asking how upcoming ammonia demonstration projects can best inform the swift development of a code for ammonia as a fuel. In this interactive workshop session, we explore the state of regulatory progress, and what is the roadmap ahead?
Featuring:
Domagoj Baresic – Research Fellow, UCL Energy Institute & Consultant, UMAS (rapid-fire presenter)
Ammonia as a marine fuel – progress to 2030 and regulatory lessons from LNG
Larry Navin – Vice President – External Affairs, Methanol Institute (rapid-fire presenter)
Marine Methanol’s Regulatory Journey
Sam Lewis – Vice President of Sustainability, Southern Devall (rapid-fire presenter)
Southern Devall: ammonia pilot project
Gancheng Sun – Strategy & Business Development Manager, Amogy (rapid-fire presenter)
Emission-free marine fuel for a sustainably-driven future
Tsuyoshi Ohkawa – Vice President, Business Development, NYK Energy Transport (USA) Inc. (rapid-fire presenter)
Introduction of Ammonia Tug Boat Project
Samie Parkar – Decarbonisation Risk Specialist, Lloyd’s Register Maritime Decarbonisation Hub (rapid-fire presenter)
Thomas McKenney – Head of Ship Design, Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping (rapid-fire presenter)
Case study: Nordic Green Ammonia Powered Ships (NoGAPS)
Koichi Kawanaka – Director, New Energy and Technologies, MOL (Europe & Africa) (wrap-up panelist)
Ralph Matlack – CEO & Founder, Fourth Tack (wrap-up panelist)
Dana Rodriguez – Senior Analyst, Global Shipping, Environmental Defense Fund (wrap-up panelist)
Conor Fürstenberg Stott – Partner, Fürstenberg Maritime Advisory (session chair & moderator)
Technology – Value Propositions for Ammonia Fuel in the Power Sector
This interactive workshop session will identify the potentially critical role ammonia can play in the power generation sector, including large-scale ammonia usage in gas turbines and thermal power plants, as well as ammonia as fuel for off-grid power generation. What is the available technology set, and key opportunities and challenges for each? What is the value proposition for these electrons? What is the roadmap for commercial deployment: time frame, regulatory path, R&D requirement?
Featuring:
Mike Rendall – Chief Technology Officer – Hydrogen, AFC Energy (rapid-fire presenter)
The markets & demand for decentralised ammonia cracking facilities
Glenn Lansford – President & CEO of IHI Energy Solutions (rapid-fire presenter)
From Japan to North America, Striving for a Low Carbon Future through Advances in Ammonia Production
Scott Neumeister – Regional Director, Hydrogen Infrastructure Development, Mitsubishi Power (rapid-fire presenter)
Jebin James – Process Development Lead, Duiker Combustion Engineers (rapid-fire presenter)
Ammonia Fueled Boilers for decarbonizing power
Bill David – CSO, Sunborne Systems, STFC Senior Fellow, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK, Professor of Energy Materials Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, University of Oxford (rapid-fire presenter)
Low-carbon energy programme in the UK
Joe Beach – CEO, Starfire Energy (rapid-fire presenter & wrap-up panelist)
Making ammonia into the new petroleum
Robert Steele – Technical Executive, Electric Power Research Institute (wrap-up panelist)
Charlotte Kirk – Technology Investments, Fortescue Future Industries (wrap-up panelist)
Frank Wouters – Senior Vice President New Energy, Reliance Industries Limited (rapid-fire presenter, session chair & moderator)
Certification – Registries
In this informative session, representatives from three operating registry platforms will present their platform and explain its operations. This session complements the three prior workshops (and the plenary sessions) by demonstrating how registry platforms are designed and function, based on operational examples. With a focus on transferable lessons for our own work, this session will inform the next steps for implementation of the AEA’s certification system.
Wouter Vanhoudt – Coordinator, CertifHy
Oscar Hernandez – Senior Associate, RMI
Book and Claims in transportation sector: a view on RMI’s developments in aviation and shipping
Mark Teklinski – System Administrator, M-RETS
M-RETS Renewable Thermal Tracking System (RTC) Demo
Jakob Krummenacher – Director of Clean Energy, LSB Industries, AEA Certification Working Group co-chair (session chair & moderator)
Safety & Regulation – The Social License for Ammonia as a Fuel
As energy systems drive towards decarbonization, research and development is in place to adopt ammonia as a fuel, including transportation and power generation segments. As a fuel, ammonia does not produce CO2 emissions when combusted directly, and the AEA is developing certification to account for the emissions associated with upstream production. To accelerate the global adoption of these technologies, a clear understanding regarding acceptable emission levels will be required, supporting public confidence in the use of ammonia as a low-emission fuel. In this interactive workshop session, we will present a series of case studies helping us to analyze how we can drive acceptance and ensure social license for ammonia combustion.
Featuring:
Toshiyuki Suda – Chairman of Planning/Steering Committee, Clean Fuel Ammonia Association (rapid-fire presenter)
Discussions on standardization of clean fuel ammonia
Thomas McKenney – Head of Ship Design, Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping (rapid-fire presenter)
Managing emissions from ammonia-fueled vessels
Tianyi Sun – Climate Scientist, Environmental Defense Fund (rapid-fire presenter)
The climate and environmental impacts of ammonia: Upstream hydrogen emissions
Shigeru Muraki – Representative Director, Clean Fuel Ammonia Association (wrap-up panelist)
Ben Emerson – Principal Research Engineer, Georgia Institute of Technology (wrap-up panelist)
Anne-Gaëlle Morin – R&D Director, VeryOne/Eurenco (wrap-up panelist)
Chris Bronsdon – CEO, Eneus Energy (wrap-up panelist)
Stephen Szymanski – Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Nel Hydrogen (session chair & moderator)
Technology – The Roadmap for Solid Oxide Technologies to Reach Commercial Maturity
Solid oxide electrolysis and fuel cells are both nearly commercial at the industrial scale, with significant relevance for both ammonia production and ammonia fuel use. In this interactive workshop session, we will explore multiple case studies, including integration of steam from the ammonia loop to solid oxide electrolysis, and a solid oxide fuel cell in maritime vessel. What does the roadmap look like for SOECs and SOFCs to reach TRL 8-9?
Featuring:
Akhil Batheja – Director, Hydrogen Business, Bloom Energy (rapid-fire presenter)
Solid Oxide Electrolysis: Ready For Deployment as the Right Solution for Green Ammonia
Hacib Benaissa – Product Development Manager, Lynas Rare Earths (rapid-fire presenter)
Solid Oxides: The importance of a resilient supply chain for Scaling Up SOEC and SOFC Technologies
Steven Weber – Business Development Director – North America, Ceres Power (rapid-fire presenter)
Robust Business Case Leveraging Ceres Low Temperature SOEC Technology
Massimo Bertoldi – CTO, SolydEra (rapid-fire presenter)
SolydEra: Solid Oxide provider for Green Ammonia production
Kim Veng – Technical and Strategic Business Developer, CREADIS (wrap-up panelist)
Rafal Bernat – Green Ammonia Technology Manager, KBR (wrap-up panelist)
Lee Raymond – Global Head of Project Development, First Ammonia (wrap-up panelist)
Rob Stevens – Sector Lead Green Fuels, Power-to-X, Topsoe (session chair & moderator)
20th Annual Conference Wrap-up – AEA Leadership Perspective: Outcomes and Next Steps
In this interactive closing session, the AEA leadership will review some of the key conversations that have come out of the workshop and plenary sessions, and engage the AEA members and affiliate organizations in a town hall debate on what we’ve learned and what work still lies ahead of us.
Featuring:
Hans Vrijenhoef – President, AEA
Vibeke Rasmussen – EVP-President Elect, AEA
Rob Stevens – VP-Past President, AEA
Jennifer Beach – Treasurer, AEA
Trevor Brown – Executive Director, AEA (moderator)