A new study from the pair has found that, with the right regulatory settings, verified low-carbon ammonia marine fuel produced in China can achieve cost parity with VLSFO and LNG at current prices, even before additional subsidies or rewards are applied.
Envision has delivered its first shipment of renewable, RFNBO-compliant ammonia from its production site in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia to LOTTE Fine Chemical’s chemical import terminal in Ulsan, South Korea.
Envision Energy has released further details about its AI architecture, with two “foundation models” working in tandem to optimize renewable energy inputs for ammonia production, potentially unlocking millions of tons of production potential in China. Meanwhile, KBR and UK-based Applied Computing will combine AI capabilities with an existing digital control platform, allowing users to optimize operations.
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.
One of the key steps in project development remains the selection of the licensor for the renewable ammonia synthesis loop. We explore different technology offerings from leading licensors – including KBR, Topsoe, Thyssenkrupp Uhde, Casale, Stamicarbon, and GoodChina – as well as the growing list of projects where they are being deployed.
The pair have agreed to a strategic partnership for the development of H2 Cumbuco, a renewable ammonia project in Pecém Port, Brazil.
Envision Energy has announced the completion of a successful ammonia bunkering operation at COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry's terminal in Dalian. The Yuantuo 1 – which was also involved in China’s first-ever ammonia bunkering operation in January this year – was refueled with renewable ammonia fuel produced at Envision’s newly-opened production plant in Chifeng.
Envision’s newly commissioned, AI-enabled, off-grid renewable ammonia production facility in Chifeng will produce 320,000 tons per year, with the first exports planned for Q4 this year.
Phase 1 of Envision’s project – with an annual ammonia production capacity of 300,000 tons – is set to come online very soon. Envision will begin offering certified renewable ammonia to both international and domestic markets from Q4 2025.
The Energy Bureau of Inner Mongolia has released plans for a common-user hydrogen pipeline infrastructure network throughout the region. This will support development of a series of renewable ammonia projects, and adds to the growing list of hydrogen pipeline projects across China. To transport the ammonia to key future demand centres (such as power plants and ports), ammonia pipelines may be the next step.
As part of a new agreement with the Spanish government, Envision Energy will develop a fully integrated green industrial park in Spain, producing key renewable technologies for renewable hydrogen projects in Europe. In Namibia, Envision and Zhero will collaborate on a 500,000 tons per year renewable ammonia plant, to be located near Walvis Bay.
China is keeping pace with IEA predictions for electrolyzer installations, with as much as 55% of the world’s total capacity to be installed there by 2028. Coupled with strong wind-power resources, domestic manufacturing capabilities and multiple economic drivers to transition away from coal-based ammonia production, China is ideally positioned to speed up the deployment of renewable ammonia projects.
The cost gap between fossil-based ammonia production and electrolysis-based ammonia production in China is arguably the smallest in the world. In our May episode of Ammonia Project Features, we explored two new, “flexible” renewable ammonia projects being developed in northeast China, as well as some of the engineering challenges as we scale-up electrolysis plants to gigawatt-sized.
Explore two flexible renewable ammonia production projects in China: Topsoe's in Baotou, and Envision Energy's in Chifeng City. We also welcome the Institute for Sustainable Process Technology to discuss the scale-up of electrolyzer plants to the GW-scale.
Flexible ammonia production technology is currently scaling up to meet the challenges of fluctuating electricity feedstock. The ability to ramp down plants to 5 - 10% of their nominal load will minimize the requirement for hydrogen storage buffers and reduce the overall cost of renewable ammonia production. The first demonstration-sized flexible ammonia plants are due to begin operations later this year.
Topse & Mintal Hydrogen will develop a dynamic, renewable ammonia plant in Baotou, China. Similar to Topsoe’s project in Skovgaard (Denmark), the electrolyser plant in Baotou will be directly connected to renewable energy generation, with production to begin in 2025.
Last month UN Climate Change announced an initiative whose goal is to scale up green hydrogen production significantly over the next six years. “The new ‘Green Hydrogen Catapult’ initiative will see green hydrogen industry leaders, including ACWA Power, CWP Renewables, Envision, Iberdrola, Ørsted, Snam, and Yara, target the deployment of 25 gigawatts through 2026 of renewables-based hydrogen production, with a view to halve the current cost of hydrogen to below US$2 per kilogram.”