Proton Ventures partners with UM6P for renewable ammonia demonstration plant in Morocco

A “living laboratory” in Jorf Lasfar

Proton and the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) have signed an agreement to construct a demonstration-sized ammonia production plant at OCP’s existing manufacturing complex in Jorf Lasfar. The 4 tonne per day plant will be powered via an electrical load emulator, simulating the profiles of wind and solar generation at different geographical sites. Alkaline and PEM electrolysers will be installed side-by-side. The partners intend the facility to act as a “world reference unit”, and will use the trial results to develop large-scale industrial projects.

The specificity of this pilot is that it will be dedicated to research, training and production. On the one hand, it will constitute a living laboratory available to UM6P Researchers, Doctoral Students and Professors for research and education in the fields of hydrogen and green ammonia, on the other hand, for our industrial partners at OCP, it will be a pilot for training and feasibility studies for a large industrial unit of Green Ammonia.

UM6P Director of Innovate for Industry Mohammed Bousseta in Proton Ventures’ press release, 25 July 2022

The announcement follows an agreement between UM6P, OCP and Moroccan solar research organisation IRESEN last November to deploy the turnkey Green H2A technology platform, with Jorf Lasfar to act as the pilot project.

Funding for cracking R&D

In other Proton Ventures news this week, the organisation has received funding via the Dutch government’s Smart Energy Systems Subsidy (SES) program to develop a large-scale ammonia cracker unit in Rotterdam.