Amogy and LSB Industries: developing a low-carbon supply chain for marine transport in the USA

By Geofrey Njovu on June 14, 2023

Amogy and LSB Industries will partner to promote the adoption of low-carbon ammonia fuel in the maritime sector, with an initial focus on US inland waterways transportation. They aim to improve understanding, utilisation, and advocacy of ammonia as a sustainable fuel. The partnership will take off with a pilot project, which will integrate LSB’s low carbon ammonia with Amogy’s proprietary ammonia-to-power system.

Subject to the pilot’s outcomes, the companies plan to collaborate on a larger scale development, including exploring opportunities to develop an “end-to-end supply chain” of low-carbon ammonia, and the deployment of Amogy’s technology for multiple applications.

The two partners plan to involve other industry players across the value chain as part of their evaluation and pilot program. The partners will also collaborate on advocacy, education, and outreach efforts pertaining to the use of ammonia as a fuel.

LSB is retrofitting its existing El Dorado grey ammonia facility with carbon capture and sequestration. This will lead to 375,000 tonnes of CCS-based ammonia per year from 2025. Source: LSB Industries.
Click to learn more. LSB is retrofitting its existing El Dorado grey ammonia facility with carbon capture and sequestration. This will lead to 375,000 tonnes of CCS-based ammonia per year from 2025. Source: LSB Industries.

The two partners are already highly active in this space. Seeking to build a low-carbon ammonia portfolio, LSB has a feasibility study underway for a 30,000 tonnes per year renewable ammonia plant located at its existing facility in Pryor, Oklahoma (this project is in partnership with Bloom Energy and thyssenkrupp). LSB is also retrofitting carbon capture and sequestration to an existing grey ammonia plant in El Dorado Arkansas. This will lead to 375,000 tonnes per year of CCS-based ammonia, with operations expected in 2025. And – amongst a series of demonstrations of its ammonia-to-power technology in various transport vehicles – later this year Amogy’s system will be retrofitted onto a Southern Devall-operated tank barge on the Mississippi river.

We’re delighted by this opportunity to work with LSB to advance the development of a low-carbon ammonia supply chain primarily in the US. The success of this collaboration will be a key step toward solidifying ammonia’s position as a comprehensive solution for decarbonizing the commercial transportation sector across the entire value chain, from the upstream production to the downstream usage.

Seonghoon Woo, CEO of Amogy in his organisation’s official press release, 25 May 2023

Our vision at LSB is to be a leader in the energy transition through the production of low and no carbon products. This collaboration agreement is an exciting step in our journey toward achieving our goals and we’re thrilled to be working with such an outstanding partner in Amogy.

President and CEO of LSB Industries, Mark Behrman, in Amogy’s official press release, 25 May 2023

Amogy, Skansi and SEAM: ammonia fuel for offshore service vessels

The M/V Torsborg, a current offshore supply vessel in Skansi’s fleet. A new agreement with Amogy will explore the potential of retrofitting Skansi’s vessels with an ammonia-to-power system. Source: Skansi.
Click to learn more. The M/V Torsborg, a current offshore supply vessel in Skansi’s fleet. A new agreement with Amogy will explore the potential of retrofitting Skansi’s vessels with an ammonia-to-power system. Source: Skansi.

Amogy, Skansi Offshore and SEAM have signed an MoU to explore potential technology collaboration in ammonia applications, focusing on the offshore industry.

The partnership will focus, firstly, on a possible retrofit of Amogy’s ammonia-to-power system in a Skansi vessel, leading to a reduced carbon footprint. The parties ultimately plan to work together towards a decarbonised shipping industry.

Given the whole industry’s strong commitment to clean fuels, it is crucial for us to make a positive impact here. We believe our partnership with Skansi and SEAM can serve as a compelling inspiration for other maritime operators to follow.

Managing Director of Amogy Norway, Christian W. Berg in his organisation’s official press release, 19 May 2023

We are very proud to have been chosen as a system partner in this exciting project. We believe in Amogy’s ammonia-to-power solution, and are confident that, through close collaboration with both companies, we will be able to realize Skansi’s important goals for a zero-emission offshore supply vessel, and thus showcase another technological milestone for zero-emission shipping.

Gunvald Mortvedt, CEO of SEAM in Amogy’s official press release, 19 May 2023

We welcome the opportunity to collaborate with Amogy and SEAM to combine our environmentally friendly and innovative technologies. Integrating Amogy’s ammonia-to-hydrogen technology in our vessel is a significant step in the right direction, bringing us closer to our long-term goal of decarbonizing the maritime industry and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, this partnership will help accelerate the global transition towards clean energy sources, furthering our commitment to sustainable practices in the maritime sector.

Jens Meinhard Rasmussen, CEO of Skansi Offshore in Amogy’s official press release, 19 May 2023

Amogy’s other demonstration projects

Separately, Amogy and Singapore-based Marco Polo Marine Ltd have partnered to install Amogy’s technology on Marco Polo’s new and existing offshore service vessels. Also set to hit the water later this year is a 105-ft tugboat, which will be retrofitted with a 1 MW version of Amogy’s technology.

These follow a series of successful demonstrations at the kW scale. In 2021, a 5 kW version of Amogy’s ammonia-to-power system was tested in a remote-controlled drone. This was followed by a 100 kW version in a tractor in June last year. And earlier this year, a 300 kW version was successfully tested in a semi-truck for heavy road transport.