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2025: an ammonia energy rollercoaster
Article

2025: an ammonia energy rollercoaster

Julian Atchison December 17, 2025

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.

Complete supply chains: renewable ammonia production, transport, and export infrastructure in northern China
Article

Complete supply chains: renewable ammonia production, transport, and export infrastructure in northern China

Kevin Rouwenhorst November 11, 2025

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.

Gas-based reforming for low-emission ammonia production: ATR, POX, and two-step reforming
Article

Gas-based reforming for low-emission ammonia production: ATR, POX, and two-step reforming

Kevin Rouwenhorst August 06, 2025

Current global ammonia production is mostly based on gas-fed, two-stage reforming processs. Decarbonization of this existing production capacity – as well as new newbuild low-emission capacity also based on gas – can utilize an industrially-proven suite of alternative technologies and processes, including autothermal reforming, and partial oxidation combined with CCS. This article discusses some of the technologies available from various tech providers, and reference projects in operation.

Ammonia bunkering: moving from demonstrations to operations
Article

Ammonia bunkering: moving from demonstrations to operations

Kevin Rouwenhorst July 28, 2025

In our recent episode of Project Features, we explored the outcomes from a recent ammonia bunkering demonstration at the Port of Rotterdam. With twelve ammonia transfer and bunkering demonstrations occurring in nine global locations since 2024, where does the Port Readiness Level for ammonia bunkering stand in Rotterdam and elsewhere, what are the key technical learnings, and what gaps remain?

Emission performance of ammonia-fueled, four-stroke marine engines
Article

Emission performance of ammonia-fueled, four-stroke marine engines

Kevin Rouwenhorst June 03, 2025

We explore recent, full-scale, four-stroke engine testing results from IHI and Wärtsilä. Testing indicates N2O emissions can be almost fully eliminated with catalytic treatment, and significantly lower NOX emissions for engines running in ammonia mode, compared to running on diesel. While ammonia slip remains a key consideration due to the design of a four-stroke engine, catalytic treatment of the exhaust can eliminate even high concentrations, and release mitigation systems have already been designed and deployed to ensure safe operations.