Incentivised by the US government’s Inflation Reduction Act, Topsoe plans to build a 1 GW solid oxide electrolysis cell manufacturing plant in Virginia. Combined with its existing SOEC factory in Herning, Denmark, the new factory will make Topsoe the largest SOEC manufacturer globally.
The European Hydrogen Bank has awarded nearly €720 million to seven renewable hydrogen and ammonia projects. The funding will act to bridge the price gap between the cost of hydrogen production and the price buyers are willing to pay. Recipients will receive €0.37 - €0.48 in subsidies per kilogram of renewable hydrogen, and will collectively produce 1.58 million tons of renewable hydrogen over ten years. In conducting a transparent auction process, the European Commission has also provided vital insights into trends in demand for renewable hydrogen and ammonia.
Kenya aims to substitute 50% of current, ammonia-based fertilizer imports with locally-produced alternatives, based on the production of electrolytic hydrogen. New guidelines from Kenya’s Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority set carbon intensity thresholds for “green” hydrogen and ammonia, as well as the incentives on offer for project developers. The new launch follows commitments to promote local fertilizer production made by heads of state at the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit. We also explore two existing renewable projects in Kenya from Maire Tecnimont and Talus Renewables.
Hygenco will establish a 1.1 million tons per year renewable ammonia project in the Gopalpur Industrial Park. Hygenco recently commissioned the Steel One project, one of India’s first MW-scale, electrolytic hydrogen production plants.
The joint venture between Fortescue and OCP will supply hydrogen, ammonia and fertiliser to the Moroccan market and beyond. Meanwhile in Australia, Fortescue’s recently opened electrolyser production facility will produce 2 GW of PEM electrolysers per year.
Black & Veatch has completed FEED work for Phase 1 of the Point Tupper project in Nova Scotia. With construction on track to begin later this year, ammonia production is expected to commence in 2026: 240,000 tons per year from electrolytic hydrogen powered by onshore renewables. EverWind Fuels also indicates that the project has been pre-certified by CertifHy™, meaning produced ammonia will meet compliance rules for exports to the EU.
The federal government of Canada has agreed to support Project Nujio’qonik via a US$95 million credit facility. The funding will help developers in the push towards long-term financing for the Newfoundland-based ammonia project.
The Canadian and German governments have agreed to establish a bilateral funding window for hydrogen derivative exports between the two countries. H2Global will conduct “coordinated supply and demand side auctions”, with ammonia-producing projects on Canada’s Atlantic coast likely frontrunners for funding. In related news, Pattern Energy, lead developer of one of these export projects, will work with Mabanaft to explore a renewable ammonia supply chain between Newfoundland and Hamburg.
The pair have signed a firm and binding agreement for the supply of ammonia from ACME’s under-development project in Oman. 100,000 tons per year of RFNBO-compliant, renewable ammonia will be delivered from 2027, feeding into Yara’s global distribution system.
Launched in 2022, MAIRE Tecnimont will complete FEED for the MadoquaPower2X project in Sines, Portugal, as well as an EPC proposal for construction. The project will feature up to 1 GW of alkaline electrolysis capacity, feeding the production of 300,000 tons per year of ammonia. Terminal facilities will include large-scale storage, enabling the export of ammonia to northwest Europe.