Onto the next phase for ammonia: message from the outgoing AEA President

Time goes by quickly! After one year as President of the Ammonia Energy Association, my term is ending. It has been a rewarding experience to represent this innovative and growing association. Some 100 new members from all parts of the value chain have joined our association in these last twelve months, and our membership base continues to expand. Hard to believe that we started out with just 14 members in 2018!

It was great to represent the AEA at various conferences and events, and to see people worldwide realizing the potential ammonia as a clean fuel. In my last official representation at NH3 Event in Rotterdam, I had the opportunity to participate together with past President (Rob Stevens, Topsoe) and incoming President (Vibeke Rasmussen, Yara) in a panel to explore topics vital to the AEA membership, including certification, technological innovation, and maritime developments.

For some 175 participants from all over Europe (and few outside), the NH3 Event gave a great insight into today’s developments. We heard some successful FID stories, with a number of projects under construction or soon to start operations. There were additional insights from start-ups, established developers, and ammonia producers.

But the main topic for discussion in Rotterdam was safety, and the perception of safety. The AEA’s Stakeholder Relations Manager Andrea Guati Rojo delivered an excellent presentation on the public perception of ammonia safety, demonstrating to the audience that this is a priority topic for the association (and in the good hands of experienced, knowledgeable staff!). Safety issues can and should be further explored using the AEA’s committee and working group structure, including safety considerations for large scale storage, bunkering, ammonia-fueled vessels, handling ammonia, and of course public perception.

The event was rounded out by networking, icebreaker activities and a friendly dinner in a unique setting (Rotterdam Zoo), and it was nice to see new connections being made. NH3 Event aims for a bigger and bolder conference in 2025, and we certainly encourage more AEA members to attend and participate.

To close my last message to you as AEA President, I want to convey to our readers what I see, not just in Rotterdam but globally. Our community of low-emission ammonia proponents, technology specialists and project developers is growing and maturing. We are collectively moving into a new phase of industry and market development.  I see more projects being announced, bigger production tonnages being targeted, steadily more FIDs being closed, and more supply contracts being signed. Not only is this industry feasible, but it is fast becoming profitable and beneficial to all parties.

I feel confident and proud to hand over the AEA presidency to Vibeke Rasmussen of Yara Clean Ammonia. I will support her and the excellent staff of the AEA in my new role as VP Past President. I know the association will be even more successful in the coming years. The AEA will continue to lead in knowledge stewardship, facilitate the transfer of experience and industry know-how, showcase the innovations, develop and launch a low-emission certification scheme, and build advocacy capacity for clean production methods and applications.

Thanks for all the support by the membership, and I look forward to seeing many of you in New Orleans in November at the 21st annual conference.