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.
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.
A key green ammonia project was affected by Morocco's suspension of diplomatic relations with Germany in March 2021, and has been forced to proceed slowly, without any interactions with its German partners. The cooperation agreement between phosphate & fertiliser giant OCP, German research institute Fraunhofer and the Moroccan Institute for Research in Solar Energy and New Energies (IRESEN) aimed to replicate Fraunhofer's pilot green hydrogen plant in Ben Guerir, Morocco. Although Ireland-based Fusion Fuel stepped into the void with a deal to develop a 183,000 tonnes per year green ammonia plant in Rabat, the transition is far from guaranteed. In his new publication, Professor Michaël Tanchum (Middle East Institute) argues renewable ammonia represents a unique opportunity for Morocco a "vicious" cycle into a "virtuous" one, and should be a priority for the country and the international community.
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) has joined AustriaEnergy and Ökowind as official partner in the million-tonne-per-year HNH green ammonia project in Chile's Magallanes region. CIP first appeared on the ammonia scene in February 2021, announcing they would lead development of a world-scale wind-to-ammonia plant in Denmark.
Fortescue Future Industries and German-based polymer manufacturer Covestro have entered into a long-term agreement for the supply of green hydrogen and derivatives, particularly green ammonia. Up to 100,000 tonnes per year of green hydrogen will be delivered to Covestro locations in Asia, Europe and North America, possibly commencing in 2024.