Four "catalytic" projects will provide momentum for the new roadmap, driving the rollout of at least 15 GW of electrolysis capacity between them by 2040. Ammonia is a feature of all these kick-off projects, and the government sees ammonia's primary role in the transition as decarbonising energy-intensive industries in South Africa.
The overall goal of reaching production levels of 5 million tonnes of green hydrogen per year is driven by the government's desire to reduce the country's reliance on energy imports. Hydrogen & ammonia are the keys to unlocking this new, fossil-free future.
ArcelorMittal, Enagás, Grupo Fertiberia and DH2 Energy will lead development of the world's largest integrated renewable and competitive hydrogen hub in northwest Spain. Production is due to begin in 2025, with the full-sized project reaching 9.5 GW of solar power and 7.4 GW of installed electrolysers by 2030.
Amongst other uses, green hydrogen from HyDeal España will be used to make green ammonia for Fertiberia’s nearby fertiliser production plant in Avilés. This means that four out of Fertiberia’s ten Spanish production centers all have green ammonia projects in progress.
Eurasia Mining and H4Energy will develop two hydrogen/ammonia export projects at either end of Russia. The Kola Green Hydrogen Project in Murmansk (far west) seeks to take advantage of cheap, abundant zero-carbon energy, combined with easy access to key shipping routes. On Sakhalin Island (far east) a new, wind-powered P2X facility is being explored.
Yara and Lantmännen - northern Europe's leading agricultural cooperative who own multiple food brands - have signed a world-first agreement for the marketing & distribution of fossil-free fertilisers from 2023.
The new project will be built in Sauda on Norway's southwestern coast and owned by Hy2gen, Trafigura and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners. Hy2gen is already developing a similar hydro-ammonia project in Quebec. The plant at Sauda - dubbed the Iverson eFuels project - will feature 240 MW of electrolyser capacity, producing 600 tonnes per day (or more than 200,000 tonnes per year) green ammonia via renewable electricity. Similar to the Quebec project, the partners indicate the produced green ammonia is destined for use as maritime fuel.
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, Fertiberia and Vestas will partner with Enagás (who own Spain's national gas grid) & Naturgy (a Spanish gas & electricity utility) to develop a hydrogen and ammonia mega project in the Aragon region, Spain. At full size, 5 GW of combined wind & solar generating capacity will power 2 GW of electrolysers that produce around 160,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year. Construction of Phase I is due to start at the end of 2023, and includes plans for a state-of-the-art green ammonia production facility that will feed Fertiberia's existing fertiliser plant in Sagunto.
A trio of South Korean organisations - Samsung Engineering, POSCO and Lotte Chemical - will partner with the Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) to develop a new green hydrogen & ammonia project in Bintulu, eastern Malaysia. The combination of plentiful hydropower, existing gas infrastructure and existing petrochemical production facilities in Bintulu means the H2biscus partners are focusing on a suite of export products - hydrogen, ammonia & methanol - with both green and blue characteristics.
Decarbonisation of Yara's Porsgrunn ammonia plant took another step this week, with Linde Engineering selected to build a 24 MW, demonstration-scale electrolysis plant to produce green hydrogen for ammonia production. The electrolysers themselves will be provided by UK-based ITM Power, who indicate that the units will be shipped towards the end of this year.
KBR has been awarded a study to help establish a green hydrogen economy in the dual-island nation. Repurposing of Trinidad & Tobago's existing industrial infrastructure - particularly grey hydrogen & ammonia production facilities - will be a key focus. Trinidad & Tobago occupies a crucial role in the global ammonia supply chain, but its reliance on grey hydrogen means that declining gas reserves and spiraling gas import prices have created shortfalls, with some ammonia production suspended and plants closed. A green ammonia project led by NewGen Energy will develop a 130 MW, solar-powered electrolyser facility in Point Lisas, and feed the state-owned Tringen I & II ammonia production plants 27,200 tonnes per year of green hydrogen feedstock.