Ammonia-fired gas turbines in Ireland

Centrica Energy, Bord Gáis Energy and Mitsubishi Power to develop facility in Cork

Based at Bord Gáis Energy’s existing Whitegate power plant, the trio will explore the development, construction, and operation of Europe’s first ammonia-fired power generation facility. After feasibility work is completed, local stakeholder engagement will begin.

The Whitegate plant currently features twin GE 9FB model turbines – one of the three turbine models GE and IHI are currently developing “retrofittable” ammonia combustion systems for, enabling the conversion of existing turbines to run on 100% ammonia fuel. Mitsubishi Power is also developing its own 100% ammonia-fired gas turbines (based on existing models, like the H-25), with verification testing to be carried out over the next two years.

At Centrica we believe that all energy can be green energy and that this can also improve energy security. This is one of the many projects Centrica is working on to demonstrate how the hydrogen economy could work in practice. In this instance, we hope to be able to show how hydrogen could be stored and transported as low carbon ammonia, delivering cleaner energy for customers at the point of use.

Chris O’Shea, Group Chief Executive, Centrica Energy in Bord Gáis Energy’s official press release, 29 Nov 2023

We believe that the strategic combination of Centrica’s vision, investment and global trading capability, along with Mitsubishi Power Europe’s innovation and technology, complemented by Bord Gáis Energy’s existing assets will effectively drive the success of this transformative project.

Dave Kirwan, Managing Director, Bord Gáis Energy in his organisation’s official press release, 29 Nov 2023

Mitsubishi Power is the frontrunner in the development of technology to enable the direct firing of ammonia for power generation, harnessing our 50-year pioneering experience in low carbon gas turbine and hydrogen fuel combustion technologies. This collaboration with Centrica Energy and Bord Gáis Energy for Europe’s first ammonia-fired power generation facility demonstrates Mitsubishi Power’s relentless commitment to pursue cutting-edge decarbonization solutions to meet the demand for electricity while transitioning towards a more sustainable energy future.

Javier Cavada, President and CEO, Europe, Middle East and Africa at Mitsubishi Power in Bord Gáis Energy’s official press release, 29 Nov 2023

Centrica Energy is currently the largest supplier of gas to customers in the UK, and one of the largest electricity suppliers. In fact, the Centrica Group owns British Gas and Bord Gáis Energy. But Centrica Energy is also an international energy trader, shipping gas & LNG to global markets. This announcement indicates a potential move by Centrica towards trading ammonia as an energy commodity, with the image accompanying the release (see above) indicating Centrica will be responsible for sourcing ammonia fuel from different global locations and then importing this to Ireland.