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.
CORFO - Chile's state-owned economic development agency - announced that US$50 million would be spread across six key green hydrogen projects, with the aim of attracting foreign investment and fast-tracking the start of green hydrogen production. Of particular interest to our readers is the HyEx project in Antofagasta, where explosives manufacturer Enaex have agreed to off take green hydrogen from ENGIE's to-be-built plant to produce green ammonia (and ultimately ammonium nitrate explosives for use in the mining industry).
thyssenkrupp will engineer, procure and fabricate a 2 GW+ electrolysis plant at the NEOM project in Saudi Arabia, based on their 20 MW alkaline water electrolysis module. The plant is scheduled to start production in 2026, with hydrogen from the facility will be used to make ammonia for export to global markets. At the Port of Rotterdam, thyssenkrupp will also take the lead on Shell's 200 MW, ‘Holland Hydrogen I’ project, with hydrogen production scheduled to start in 2024.
Trafigura and the South Australian state government will jointly fund FEED work into a commercial-scale green hydrogen export facility in Port Pirie, 200km north of Adelaide, the South Australian capital city. At full-scale the facility will produce 100 tonnes per day green hydrogen from 440 MW of electrolysers, with some earmarked for local use and the remainder to be exported as green ammonia (max. 200,000 tonnes per year). Oxygen produced during electrolysis will be sent next-door to Nyrstar's Port Pirie smelter, one of the world's largest producers of lead and silver. At full capacity, the electrolysis facility will meet 100% of the smelter's oxygen requirements.
Three new updates this week:
1. A team at Durham University has shown that a massive scale-up of PEM electrolyser manufacturing capability can slash the capital costs of producing electrolyser units by up to 70%.
2. A team from the University of Campinas has proposed more focus on electrolysis of waste and seawater to produce hydrogen, avoiding direct competition between drinking water and hydrogen production.
3. A team from the Australian National University has demonstrated a new pathway forward for hydrogen production directly from sunlight by demonstrating a stable, efficient photocatalyst.
Total Eren will lead development of the H2 Magallanes project in southern Chile. Up to 10 GW of onshore wind capacity will power 8 GW of electrolysers, a desalination plant, an ammonia production plant and port facilities to export the product to local and global markets. At full capacity, 4.4 million tonnes of renewable ammonia will be produced every year. Although H2 Magallanes is still in the pre-feasability stage, it will be launched in 2025, with the aim to begin hydrogen electrolysis in 2027.