Trailing ammonia-coal co-firing in India
By on March 29, 2022
Adani Power and two Japanese organisations – IHI Corporation and Kowa – have signed a new MoU to conduct a feasibility study into 20% ammonia-coal co-firing at the Mundra power plant in Gujarat, India. The trio will also investigate increasing this co-firing percentage all the way up to 100% ammonia fuel (“mono-firing”).
Adani Power has committed itself to India’s national goal of net-zero emissions by 2070, and Kowa has been assisting this drive by carrying out “a global survey of hydrogen and ammonia related technologies utilized to power generation”. For their part, IHI is one of the first-movers looking to implement ammonia fuel as a commercial reality in Japan.
Government-level partnerships
The new MoU contributes to a national-level partnership announced last week – the “India-Japan Clean Energy Partnership (CEP)”:
These studies…aim to promote energy cooperation between Japan and India through diverse and realistic energy transitions utilising all energy sources and technologies to ensure energy security, carbon neutrality and economic growth. In addition, the parties intend to conduct research and development, demonstration and commercial implementation in parallel with that in Japan to achieve early global implementation of fuel ammonia supply chain.
Adani Power’s official press release, 22 March 2022
This follows a commitment made by Japan earlier this year to support the uptake of key ammonia energy technology solutions by ASEAN countries.
Production incentives for green hydrogen & ammonia?
And, in the wake of India’s recently announced green hydrogen policy, there are reports that incentives could be offered to promote the production & export of green hydrogen and ammonia via a Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme). Speaking to the Economic Times, government officials are reported as saying the scheme would support the domestic production & export of 10 million tonnes green hydrogen and ammonia per year by 2030, and a 50 million tonnes per year total market within India by the same date.