A new roadmap from the Institute for Sustainable Process Technology (ISPT) has set a number of key drivers and enablers for ammonia imports of up to 25 million tons per year in the Antwerpen-Rotterdam-Rijn-Ruhr area by 2030. Public acceptance, a careful approach to safety and environmental concerns, regulatory updates and new ammonia pipelines will all be needed.
International crude oil giant Euronav and CMB.TECH will merge to form a new clean shipping entity. The future fleet will feature nearly one hundred ammonia-fueled ships, including Ultramaxes, large-scale container vessels, long-range carriers and chemical tankers. Further details have also emerged about CMB.TECH’s ammonia fuel production project in Namibia, which is targeting a yearly production capacity of 185,000 tonnes of ammonia fuel by 2028.
An NYK-led consortium, which includes Japan Engine Corporation, IHI Power Systems and Nihon Shipyard, has announced that a construction contract has been signed with Japan Marine United to build its 40,000 m3 ammonia-fueled medium gas carrier (AFMGC) in Ariake. The vessel is due to be delivered in November 2026.
AFC Energy, MAHLE, the University of Nottingham and Clean Air Power have been awarded funding from Innovate UK to demonstrate the feasibility of ammonia combustion engines in the marine sector, based on the integration of AFC Energy’s ammonia cracking technology. The new program builds on a prior R&D program exploring ammonia combustion engines for the off-road construction industry.
In marine ammonia news to begin 2024, we explore a volume-efficient, “prismatic” ammonia fuel tank design, a new long-term charter for ammonia shipping in the Pacific region, and two global gas exporters ordering ammonia-capable carriers for their fleets.
The Indian government has launched a new incentive scheme for renewable ammonia, aiming to support the production of 550,000 tonnes per year from 2027. The news comes as the first winners of subsidies for renewable hydrogen production & domestic electrolyser manufacturing were announced. In December, the government also amended an existing scheme to provide financial assistance for new-build vessels powered by green fuels, including ammonia.
GE Vernova and IHI Corporation will proceed to the engineering and testing phase for their ammonia gas turbine roadmap for Asia. Based on their efforts in 2022 to demonstrate a low-N2O combustor for a 2 MW, 100% ammonia-fired turbine, IHI will lead development of a two-stage combustor for larger-scale gas turbine models.
ACME and IHI have signed an offtake agreement for the supply of renewable ammonia from the pair’s under-development production plant in Odisha, eastern India. On a long-term basis, 400,000 tons per year will be transported, with production to begin in 2027. A number of other Indian production projects were launched this month.
US-based Syzygy Plasmonics announced successful final tests of its light-powered ammonia cracking technology. More than 1,500 hours of testing have validated the production of hydrogen from ammonia in the reactor cell, which is now available to order as a stacked, 5 tons per day capacity system.
AustriaEnergy, Ökowind and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners’ HNH Energy project in southern Chile will expand to a second phase, featuring a tripling of onshore wind capacity to 5 GW. Construction is due to start in 2025.