NYK reports the retrofitting of the LNG-fueled tugboat Sakigake has begun in Yokohama. An ammonia-fueled engine developed by IHI Power Systems, NYK, Japan Engine Corporation and Nihon Shipyard will replace the conventional system on board, with the tug due to hit the water by 2024. NYK & Chilean copper producer CODELCO have also announced they are developing an ammonia-powered Handymax bulk carrier, aiming to develop a fleet to service the cross-Pacific copper trade.
Meet partners developing Project Pecem in the northern state of Ceara, Brazil. The first phase of Project Iracema is set to come online in 2027, with the aim of producing ammonia compliant with certification requirements for the export of the renewable hydrogen to Europe. At full capacity, 2.2 million tonnes of grid-connected ammonia production capacity will be enabled.
AEA President Hans Vrijenhoef recently participated in an official hydrogen trade mission to Chile, addressing the audience at the Santiago Green Hydrogen Summit and securing interest to start planning Chile’s first ammonia-focused event. With a number of key challenges facing ammonia project developers in Latin America and the need to train & educate so many ammonia “newcomers”, 2024 will be the perfect opportunity to bring together all the key stakeholders.
Green Energy Park has announced that its first ammonia production & export facility will be located in the State of Piauí, Brazil. In the initial phase, one million tonnes of ammonia per year will be produced & exported to a midstream distribution hub on the island of Krk in Croatia, which is on the doorstep of key European industrial regions.
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.
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.
To design, build & operate a hydroelectric ammonia production plant fed by electrolytic hydrogen, what considerations need to be taken into account? Our recent episode of Ammonia Project Features explored this question, focusing on an upcoming project being developed in Paraguay by ATOME, URBAS and Casale. The use of surplus hydropower, existing industrial infrastructure, proactive engineering and commercially-available, flexible ammonia synthesis technologies all adds up to a less challenging task for developers, and a potential project template going forward.
The Glenfarne – Samsung Engineering partnership plans to deliver renewable ammonia projects in Chile and the US, guaranteeing current LNG customers access to ammonia fuel in the early stages of the energy transition. And, seeking to become a model for future renewable utility companies, PASH and ERIH will form a hydrogen & ammonia joint venture to develop production projects in Italy and Turkey.
