ACME plans to develop an integrated hydrogen & ammonia project with a 1.2 million tonnes per year annual capacity at the Port of Victoria on the Texas Gulf Coast.
As the maritime industry gears towards the use of more sustainable fuels, Denmark-based cargo pump supplier Svanehoj reports increased orders for ammonia-capable equipment to be used on LPG tankers. Navantia and H2SITE will combine their expertise in shipbuilding and ammonia cracking to create hydrogen-based propulsion systems. Thyssenkrupp Uhde’s ammonia technology will be used in SwitcH2’s floating ammonia production vessels to harness offshore wind energy. And Iverson eFuels will use ECOnnects’ jettyless gas transfer technology at its 200,000 tonnes per year ammonia production facility in Norway.
New Zealand-based Hiringa Energy and Australian group Sundown Pastoral will develop the Good Earth Green Hydrogen and Ammonia Project (GEGHA), which will produce ammonia-based fertiliser & hydrogen for fuel cells to support cotton farming near Moree, New South Wales. The partners are already looking to expand to multiple production projects in the area.
A $325 million investment from Macquarie Asset Management will support Atlas Agro’s new Pacific Green Fertilizer Plant in Washington state, USA. FID on the plant is due early next year, which will produce 700,000 tonnes of zero-carbon nitrate fertiliser each year.
In India, ACME Group has secured two loans from REC Limited: $500 million to fully finance the first phase of the ACME’s Duqm renewable ammonia project, and $2.5 billion to support the first phases of ACME’s “round the clock” renewable power projects in Odisha and Tail Nadu.
Founding investors including EIT InnoEnergy, Maire Tecnimont, Siemens and Heineken have launched FertigHy - a new consortium aiming to build and operate large-scale fertiliser projects to supply the EU agricultural sector. The first project will be developed in Spain, producing more than one million metric tonnes per year of low-carbon, nitrogen-based fertilisers for the EU market.
Seaspan and partners will look towards commercialisation for their large-scale, ammonia-powered container vessel design. Korea Maritime Consultants has been granted AiP for a small-sized container vessel concept for small-scale applications, and the Blaavinge consortium aims to develop their ammonia-powered offshore wind service vessel in time for use in the Utsira Nord project in Norway.
Alkaline electrolyzers will play a significant role in renewable ammonia production going forward. Historical developments in electrocatalysts and optimized stack design have already addressed some of the key bottlenecks in the technology, and new developments will enable flexible operations at higher pressures.
Recent PEM technology developments have centered around two issues: i) the relative scarcity of Iridium, and ii) the membrane thickness, limiting the efficiency of the PEM electrolyzer. This week we explore new approaches to both, including work by precious metal company Heraeus, and Norwegian start-up HyStar.
Allianz will invest €20 million in Fuella, a Norway-based project developer currently working on two renewable ammonia production projects. Fuella’s plants in Skipavika (100,000 tonnes per year) and Korgen (200,000 tonnes) will utilise renewable electricity from Norway’s grid to produce ammonia. The projects will target the marine fuels & fertiliser sectors.
2023 really is the year of change for the clean ammonia business, with momentum on display across the world. Let’s keep up the pace, keep working together, and help spread the word that clean ammonia will be a winning market.