Solid oxide electrolysis has recently gained traction, and is fast becoming an attractive technology option for new ammonia production projects. This week we will explore a recent ISPT report, the scale-up of Topsoe’s manufacturing capacity, and several project announcements.
New guidelines for Indian ports mandate the use of renewable energy in port operations, as well as the development of storage, handling and bunkering capabilities for future maritime fuels. All of India’s thirteen major ports must have ammonia bunkering & refueling facilities established by 2035, as well as making efforts to retrofit port crafts to run on future fuels.
State-owned enterprise China Energy has announced new ammonia initiatives in three countries, with a reported budget of $20 billion to invest outside China over the next few years. A partnership with Petrobras in Brazil, construction of a new renewable ammonia mega-project in Morocco, and a construction start date for a renewable ammonia plant next to the Suez Canal in Egypt have all been announced in the last few weeks.
Key elements of Japan’s Green Transformation (GX) push have been unveiled, including policy support for the implementation of ammonia energy solutions, and a $1 trillion total public-private investment package. A subsidy scheme to address the price difference between hydrogen, ammonia and fossil fuels is included, with a nominal price tag of $36 billion, running into the 2030s.
Mitsui & Co., INPEX and Japanese government agency JOGMEC will partner with ADNOC to verify the emissions intensity of ammonia produced at a new project in al-Ruwais, UAE. The final methodology is likely to reflect the definition of clean ammonia currently being developed in Japan. Shipments of CCU-based ammonia have arrived in Japan & India in recent weeks from SABIC in Saudi Arabia, further highlighting the potential of Middle East supply chains.
Jilin Electric Power Company has selected LONGi Hydrogen and SANY Hydrogen as electrolyser technology providers for a 180,000 tonnes per year renewable ammonia project in Da’an, northeast China. A growing list of renewable ammonia projects is being developed in the country, with many focused on decarbonised production of chemicals.
In maritime ammonia updates this week: