Ammonia Energy Association

To open the AEA’s 2024 Annual Conference in New Orleans, H2Global Managing Director Timo Bollerhey presented updates from the “green market maker”. To meet global climate targets, we need to accelerate market creation and maturation, and push past key tipping points. H2Global does this by bridging the green premium gap between sellers and buyers and facilitating transactions for clean commodities. A successful first ammonia auction was concluded in 2024, informing plans for a second, larger, truly global auction round that will be launched in the near future.

During the recent 2024 Ammonia Energy Conference, we explored all the latest developments in ammonia-powered maritime propulsion. Engine makers reported strong progress ahead of deployment in 2026, the same year that large-scale vessels will hit the water. The panel explored early operations for the ammonia-powered A-Tug in Japan, as well as ancillary technology systems required for maritime ammonia engines, catalyst after-treatment systems for emission mitigation, and the potential for fuel additives to boost ammonia engine performance.

2024 has already been a busy year, with ammonia discussions at an exciting phase. Despite the hesitancy and doubts about ammonia I have heard at recent events, I continue to deliver the same constructive messages, and urge the AEA membership and networks to use the information available to continue to promote ammonia. Our upcoming annual event in New Orleans will explore progress in establishing ammonia markets, and I can’t wait to see you all again in-person.

For our final episode of Maritime Ammonia Insights, we asked our resident experts Sofia and Conor Fürstenberg Stott to provide their insights on the pathway forward for marine ammonia fuel. Discussion topics included challenges for overlaying alternative fuels onto the existing bunker industry, the importance of seafarers to the transition, and why we need to move beyond talking about competition between alternative fuel candidates.

Decarbonization of existing steam methane reforming-based ammonia plants is possible, and changes in gas and heat flows can be recovered via alternative technologies. Recap our workshop in Atlanta, where we discussed the use of upstream methane monitoring equipment, electrolysers, carbon capture, hydrogen burners, energy storage and electric heating to achieve decarbonization of conventional ammonia plants.

In this session at our 2023 annual conference, panelists discussed how ammonia certification methods should be data-centric, and focus less on colour labels. The panel featured Alicia Eastman (InterContinental Energy), Shigeru Muraki (Clean Fuel Ammonia Association), Wouter Vanhoudt (Hinicio), Linda Dempsey (CF Industries) and Conor Fürstenberg Stott (Fürstenberg Maritime Advisory).

Certification based on actual GHG emissions intensity is the principle on which the AEA’s certification system is being built, and the issue is becoming an increasingly important subject at international fora such as the IMO, the G7 and the G20.

Having witnessed the extreme climate events this northern hemisphere summer, it was heartening to see momentum for new renewable projects on display in Sao Paulo, where I spoke at a recent conference. In the Netherlands, an important decision on the Porthos project will - hopefully - create space for infrastructure development.

Last month, AEA Executive Vice-President Hans Vrijenhoef presented to a full house at the 29th AFA International Fertilizer Conference in Cairo, Egypt. Hans covered the challenging task of aligning the current & future ammonia certification tools being developed by various parties. There was also evidence of huge MENA momentum for clean ammonia at the event, both in Egypt and the wider region.

Electrolysis-based ammonia production peaked worldwide around 1970, before the economies of scale and cheap gas feedstock led to its decline. With decarbonization and climate-neutral industrial processes now a critical priority, electrolysis-based ammonia production has re-emerged as a long-term solution. From a base of 10,000 tonnes per year worldwide production in 2020, as much as 100 million tonnes per year of electrolysis-based ammonia could be produced by the end of this decade, driven by a dramatic roll-out of renewable energy generation and installed electrolyzer capacity.

Acknowledging that a coordinated, national-level approach is urgently needed to create a viable hydrogen industry in Australia, the Australian Hydrogen Council (AHC) has set out a series of recommendations in their new white paper. AHC sees ammonia as playing an important role in an emerging Australian hydrogen industry, particularly as an immediate end-use application for clean hydrogen. We sat down with AHC's CEO Fiona Simon to learn more.

Last week we presented the second episode in our monthly webinar series: Ammonia Energy Live. Every month we’ll explore the wonderful world of ammonia energy and the role it will play in global decarbonisation - with an Australian twist. This episode we welcomed Sammy Van Den Broeck, VP Project & Portfolio at Yara Clean Ammonia. Sammy was invited to give his thoughts on the key challenges and opportunities in the global ammonia transition, and explain to us why Australia is so important to Yara's future clean ammonia plans. Interviewing Sammy were Jacinta Bakker (Research Fellow in the MacFarlane Laboratory at Monash University) and Allison Gwilt (Senior Project Engineer, Future Fuels at Origin Energy).

What are the key considerations for a future Ammonia Fuel Standard? On November 17, 2020, the Ammonia Energy Association (AEA) hosted a panel discussion moderated by Ron Stanis from GTI (Gas Technology Institute), as well as panel members David Richardson from Airgas, Rob Steele from EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute), Eric Smith from IIAR (International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration), and Dorthe Jacobsen from MAN Energy Solutions at the recent Ammonia Energy Conference. The AEA Fuel Standard Committee has been developing a draft product specification that will facilitate the acceptance of ammonia as a fuel. The overall message from panelists came through loud and clear: the draft standard is ready for stakeholder comments, and the Fuel Standard Committee welcomes your input.

ANNOUNCEMENT: The Ammonia Energy Association has published the full schedule for our 16th annual conference, which will take place November 12-14, 2019, in Orlando, Florida. Like last year, the Ammonia Energy Conference has two parts: the Topical Conference, consisting of technical presentations, and the Implementation Conference, consisting of closed-door workshops followed by open plenary sessions featuring keynote speeches, panel discussions, and audience debate. Both events are hosted within the AIChE Annual Meeting.

As newly elected President of the Ammonia Energy Association (heretofore the NH3 Fuel Association; a formal name change announcement will be made in the fall), I am very pleased to announce our first class of industry members.  Fourteen companies have joined the Association and thereby made a tangible commitment to ammonia as a clean and affordable staple of the sustainable energy economy of the future.  At the Association’s Annual Meeting on August 15, representatives of the member companies elected eight new Directors to the Board.  Participation on Board committees was also solicited.

The NH3 Fuel Association (NH3FA) has released the names of the organization’s charter group of sponsors. The common thread that unites the six companies? A conviction that ammonia energy represents a significant opportunity for their businesses. The sponsors are Yara, Nel Hydrogen, Airgas, Haldor Topsoe, Casale, and Terrestrial Energy.

Following the NH3 Fuel Association’s call last September for the formation of national organizations to advocate for ammonia energy, a chapter of the Association is taking shape in Australia.  John Mott, until recently CEO of the Australian industrial refrigeration concern Gordon Brothers, has spearheaded the formation of a local chapter of the NH3 Fuel Association (NH3FA).  The chapter will be known informally as the NH3 Fuel Association Oz. Monash University, Australia’s largest university, has agreed to host the organization.