Exxon Mobil is planning a CCS hydrogen & ammonia production facility at its existing complex in Baytown, Texas, with operations to begin in 2027-8. This week, Korea-based SK Inc. Materials announced they would act as off taker for the CCS ammonia, which will be imported to Korea for use in coal co-combustion.
Three new ammonia-powered, bulk carrier designs have recently been awarded Approval in Principle. In China, SDTR Marine & SDARI’s Kamsarmax dual-fuel design received AiP from the China Classification Society. In Japan, another Kamsarmax-sized vessel developed by Sumitomo and Oshima Shipping was approved, and ClassNK has signed off on a Capemax vessel designed by MOL and Mitsui & Co., which includes an ammonia-powered main engine and hard sails to improve energy efficiency.
ACME and IHI will assess the feasibility of potential joint projects in the ammonia energy space, including production, transportation, distribution, and power generation. Also this week, IHI and GE have presented their findings from an ammonia-powered gas turbine feasibility study, with some favorable fuel economics for ammonia.
Spanish energy & chemicals giant Cepsa has announced two new, significant ammonia partnerships this week. Cepsa will supply renewable ammonia imports to ACE Terminal in Rotterdam from 2027, realizing the vision for a green maritime corridor between the Netherlands and the Mediterranean. And, together with Fertiberia, Cepsa will develop a 1 GW renewable hydrogen plant near the La Rábida energy park. The plant will produce hydrogen feedstock for Fertiberia’s Palos de la Frontera ammonia & fertiliser manufacturing complex, and Cepsa’s own industrial needs in the area.
Ammonia co-firing trials will shortly commence in the Philippines, Thailand and Chile, with an initial focus on co-firing rates of 20-30% ammonia. Japanese energy giants JERA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries continue to be significant players in the co-firing space.
RWE and VTG will jointly develop a rail distribution network for ammonia imports arriving at RWE’s under-development Brunsbüttel terminal. Ammonia will be transported by rail wagon from RWE’s under-development Brunsbüttel terminal to customers in Germany and neighboring countries.
India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission includes more than $2 billion in direct government subsidies for both electrolyser manufacturing & the domestic production of electrolytic hydrogen using renewable electricity. On the ammonia front, ammonia-based fertiliser imports are set to be completely replaced by domestic production in 2034-5, and all major Indian ports will be required to establish ammonia bunkering & refueling facilities by 2035.
Global shipping group Monjasa will provide logistics services to distribute electrolytic ammonia produced at the under-development HØST PtX project in Esbjerg, Denmark. Part of the 600,000 tonne-per-year production volume will also be reserved for Monjasa to utilise as a bunker fuel.
Casa dos Ventos, Comerc and the Transhydrogen Alliance (THA) will continue development of a 2.2 million-tonne-per-year electrolytic ammonia export project at the Port of Pecém in northern Brazil. The country’s renewables-heavy grid will power 2.4 GW of electrolysis capacity, with exports to Rotterdam to start in 2026. THA founding member Proton Ventures recently selected an engineering partner to perform FEED work for the Pecém plant, and was also awarded a construction contract by OCP Group for two world-scale ammonia storage tanks in Morocco.
RWE, LOTTE, Mitsubishi will join forces to jointly develop a large-scale clean ammonia production & export project in the Port of Corpus Christi, Texas. At full size, the facility will produce 10 million tonnes per year of “green” and “blue” ammonia combined, to be exported to Europe and Asia. Also on the Gulf Coast, Linde will build, own and operate a CCS hydrogen & nitrogen production plant to supply gas feedstock to OCI’s world-scale ammonia facility in Beaumont, Texas.