Following the passage of new legislation in the USA, the timeline has been set for hydrogen and ammonia producers to benefit from 45V tax credits. Construction on renewable hydrogen projects must begin by January 1, 2028, providing a short window of opportunity, particularly for the regional Hydrogen Hubs.
With $25 million in funding from the Norwegian Government, Amon Marine will develop two ammonia-powered bulk carriers, entering into a new vessel market. Also in Norway, Færder Tankers has received approval in principle for their design of a 50,000 cubic metre capacity dual fuel ammonia medium carrier and bunkering vessel.
Phase one of China Energy Engineering Group’s Songyuan project will come online this September, producing 200,000 tons per year of RFNBO-compliant ammonia. Ammonia produced in Songyuan (and Energy China’s other major renewable project in Chifeng) will be transported to Panjin Port, where Energy China co-owns a large-scale ammonia storage terminal.
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency has conditionally awarded AU$432 million in hydrogen production credits to support the operation of the Hunter Valley Hydrogen Hub. Located adjacent to Orica’s existing ammonia production facility on Kooragang Island, the grid-powered, 50 MW electrolysis plant will displace around 7.5% of gas feedstock consumed daily.
Linde will invest $400 million to build, own and operate the supply of nitrogen and oxygen to the Blue Point mega-project, a 1.4 million tons per year CCS ammonia joint venture from CF Industries, JERA and Mitsui & Co.
IHI and GE Vernova have built a large scale combustion test facility which will accelerate the development of gas turbines capable of operating on 100% ammonia. The two parties aim to have such gas turbines commercially available by 2030.
The Coega Green Ammonia project, which is targeting a production capacity of 1 million tons per year once operational in 2029, has secured $20 million in development funding from SA-H2 Fund, as well as completing development of the Crossroads Green Energy project, a 1430 MW cluster of solar PV sites that will provide 40% of Coega’s power requirements.
Commissioning work on the CCS-based hydrogen and ammonia demonstration project near Kashiwazaki City, Japan has begun, with project partner INPEX introducing gas feedstock to the hydrogen production plant.
EXMAR announced this week that a WinGD dual-fuel ammonia engine has now been installed onboard the first of its under-construction vessels in South Korea. Ammonia-fueled ammonia carriers similar to EXMAR’s are currently being built in Korea, China, and Japan, with the first of these vessels to hit the water next year.
The consensus that has emerged from across the ammonia energy industry carries a very simple message for the IMO: adopt.