Kevin Rouwenhorst reports back from the 7th CFAA International Symposium in Tokyo, plus significant progress on the ground for Idemitsu Kosan, NYK Line, Resonac, and IHI Corporation.
To be managed by the European Investment Bank, the grants include €35 million to Norwegian company Scatec for its under-development Egypt Green project in Ain Sokhna, with FID expected in the coming months.
Samsung E&A held a groundbreaking ceremony for the 500,000 tons per year CCS-based ammonia Wabash Low Carbon Ammonia project in Indiana, USA. In other ground breaking news, the first major equipment was erected for AM Green Ammonia’s 1.5 million tons per year renewable ammonia project in Kakinada, India.
The new grant allows InterContinental to further advance and accelerate the mega-project in Australia’s northwest, which will feature up to 26 GW of hybrid wind and solar generation, and the production of up to 1.6 million tons per year of hydrogen.
Hapag-Lloyd and North Sea Container Line (NCL) have emerged as winners of ZEMBA’s second tender focused on the deployment of e-fuel powered containerships. NCL will deploy the renewable ammonia powered containership Yara Eyde from 2027.
Via ENOVA, the Norwegian government has awarded $43 million to Azane for the development of three ammonia terminals, and $29 million to Amon Maritime for the construction of three new ammonia-powered bulk carriers.
Two Namibia-based renewable ammonia projects – Hyphen Hydrogen Energy and Zhero Molecules Walvis Bay – have received development funding from the African Development Bank and the SDG Namibia One Fund, respectively.
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.
In the wake of the IMO’s decision to postpone adoption of a zero and near-zero fuels support framework, the European Commission has launched its own support scheme for sustainable aviation (SAF) and maritime (SMF) fuels. Strategic, targeted investments will be made to scale up EU-based production of renewable and low-carbon fuels, unlocking the fuel volumes required.
