Two new Bills make up a “hydrogen promotion” package submitted to the Japanese parliament. The “Hydrogen Society Promotion Bill”, sets up a framework for awarding subsidies under the GX bonds scheme (a contracts-for-difference program), while the “CCS Business Bill” sets out permitting and monitoring requirements for domestic CCS projects in Japan.
The Indian government has launched a new incentive scheme for renewable ammonia, aiming to support the production of 550,000 tonnes per year from 2027. The news comes as the first winners of subsidies for renewable hydrogen production & domestic electrolyser manufacturing were announced. In December, the government also amended an existing scheme to provide financial assistance for new-build vessels powered by green fuels, including ammonia.
To scale clean ammonia production from 1.4 million tonnes under construction today to the projected 269 million tonnes needed by 2030, key risks including offtake, uncertain price and demand need to be addressed. Potential solutions include technological innovation, a clear mapping of supply and demand, and harmonised standards and certification. Learn more about our 2023 annual conference keynote featuring Dolf Gielen from the World Bank.
REC Limited has committed nearly $5 billion total to three new energy projects in Odisha state, including renewable ammonia projects to be developed by Avaada and ACME Group. Avaada also announced that its facility will include a “cutting-edge” ammonia storage facility, to be developed at Gopalpur Port. The new funds follow a $1 billion investment in Avaada from infrastructure giant Brookfield earlier this year.
GIC & Hy24 will invest $115 million to accelerate the deployment of InterContinental Energy’s portfolio of ammonia mega-projects. In the USA, Electric Hydrogen has closed a $380 million Series C funding round, accelerating plans to build a gigafactory in Massachusetts and deliver its first PEM electrolysers in 2024.
New analysis from the Global Maritime Forum has found that the cost gap between ammonia fuel and conventional fuel could be closed as early as 2026 for their new NoGAPS vessel. A series of levers need to be pulled to fully finance NoGAPS and similar vessels (such as long-term charters), but the authors report favorable deals should be readily available. The authors also map out three commercial pathways for NoGAPS to operate, the easiest being exclusive bunkering on the US Gulf Coast.
The state government of Andhra Pradesh launched its new hydrogen and ammonia policy in June, including a production target of up to 2 million tonnes per year of renewable ammonia, plus a raft of incentives to attract project developers to the Indian state. The news comes as India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy sets the standard for “green” hydrogen produced in the country.
