Hiringa Energy, Sundown Pastoral Company and the NSW Government announced that financial close has been reached on the Good Earth Green Hydrogen and Ammonia (GEGHA) project in Moree, regional NSW. Project financing was provided by the National Australia Bank, with funding from the NSW state government.
Ammonigy, Heraeus Precious Metals and the Technical University of Darmstadt have partnered to demonstrate operations using cracked ammonia fuel in a four-stroke MAN test engine. The performance and efficiency of the test engine when running on ammonia-hydrogen fuel was comparable to natural gas operations, and use of an exhaust aftertreatment system reduced potentially harmful nitrogen-based emissions to near-zero levels.
Ammonia cracking tech provider Ammonigy and leading German brick manufacturer Juwö Poroton led the project, successfully demonstrating a pilot-sized brick kiln that runs on cracked ammonia fuel gas. The cracked ammonia-fired bricks were virtually “indistinguishable from bricks fired with natural gas”.
IRENA’s new market analysis forecasts a diverse landscape of commodity flows based on electrolytic hydrogen by 2050, with ammonia predicted to be both the most in-demand and the “most traded” of the hydrogen commodities. IRENA predicts flows of more than 100 million tons per year by mid-century, with major exporters to potentially include China and the USA.
As part of the new joint venture, the pair will lead construction of two 51,530 m3 ammonia-fueled ammonia carriers, which will also be capable of carrying LPG. Contracts have to build the vessels near Shanghai, with deliveries scheduled to take place in June and October 2028.
Japan Bank for International Cooperation and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation will fully finance Mitsui & Co.’s investment in the Blue Point mega-project in the USA. The project – which will entail around $4 billion total investment – reached FID earlier this year.
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.
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.
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.