Uniper and thyssenkrupp Uhde have reached an agreement to deploy six ammonia cracking plants around Europe, with a combined cracking capacity of up to 7,200 tons per day of ammonia.
At its pilot plant at the Nagasaki District Research & Innovation Center, MHI has successfully produced 99% pure hydrogen via cracking ammonia powered by steam-based heating. The company and its partners will work towards the development of commercial medium-scale, decentralized ammonia cracking systems.
In our December episode of Project Features, we explore ammonia energy R&D, pioneering demonstration plants, and start-up companies originating from the University of Minnesota, USA.
Mitsui & Co. and JERA announced that they have been awarded CfD funds by the Japanese government to support the import of CCS-based ammonia from the Blue Point project in Louisiana, USA. By 2030 (2029 in JERA’s case), full supply chains will be established to import the ammonia into Japan, for use in the power generation, cement manufacturing, and other industrial sectors.
Anglo-Eastern announced that the first cohort has successfully completed its inaugural Pilot Training Course on Ammonia as a Marine Fuel. Already the ship manager for the ammonia-fueled vessel Fortescue Green Pioneer, Anglo-Eastern will soon take on that responsibility for a series of vessels coming out of Chinese shipyards, managing vessels for CMB.TECH.
The EU has set a legally binding climate target for 2040, at a 90% GHG emission reduction versus 1990 levels. But, while the 2030 emission target can theoretically be met with limited modifications to existing ammonia production plants in the EU, new technology pathway choices will have to be made well before 2040 to ensure compliance. We explore some of the options, and projects in progress.
Despite the successes and progress made in 2025, the year remains a missed opportunity for ammonia energy. The first complete supply chains for renewable ammonia are emerging, and some 600,000 tons of annual production capacity is set to be online in northeast China early next year. Maritime engines, cracking, and power & heat technology solutions also made their mark, moving from feasibility into deployment. But disappointing outcomes at the IMO and government support that failed to spark market development remains an issue, with plenty of critical, detail-heavy work ahead of us in 2026.
CMB.TECH has signed an off-take agreement for renewable ammonia produced by Energy China at its now-operational Songyuan project in Jilin Province, northeast China. CMB.TECH will also acquire a minority stake in Jiangsu Andefu (ADF) one of China's largest ammonia supply chain companies and China’s first exporter of liquid ammonia in 2011.
US-based Addis Energy announced they have closed an $8.3 million oversubscribed seed round to progress work on subsurface production of ammonia, via the strategic injection of feedstock materials.
NH3 Clean Energy and Japanese trader ITOCHU will collaborate over the next two years to support the development of ammonia bunkering operations in the Pilbara by 2030.