Mitsui & Co. and JERA announced that they have been awarded CfD funds by the Japanese government to support the import of CCS-based ammonia from the Blue Point project in Louisiana, USA. By 2030 (2029 in JERA’s case), full supply chains will be established to import the ammonia into Japan, for use in the power generation, cement manufacturing, and other industrial sectors.
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.
State-owned conglomerate Energy China and logistics and terminal specialist ADF are establishing a renewable ammonia supply chain in northeast China. In our recent episode of Project Features, we explored the Songyuan production project, and ADF’s planned scale-up of ammonia storage and transport facilities across China’s coast.
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.
Yara has officially opened its new ammonia import terminal in Germany, with enough capacity to handle 3 million tons of ammonia imports per year. In France, Trammo will support the redevelopment of a section of Elengy’s Fos Tonkin LNG terminal into an ammonia import location, including construction of an ammonia storage tank, rail access and bunkering facilities.
As shown in the IEA’s recently released Global Hydrogen Review 2024, the cumulative hydrogen production capacity reaching Final Investment Decision has doubled compared to last year. Promisingly, low-emission ammonia comprises a significant portion of both the mature project pipeline and secured offtake volume.
The Canadian government will allocate up to CAD 300 million for hydrogen & derivative exports to Europe, via a H2Global auction scheme. This funding commitment is expected to be matched by the German government, with the tender process set to launch before the end of this year.
Ahead of the international Symposium on Ammonia Energy event next month, we recap R&D presented in the second edition of the Journal on Ammonia Energy: