Exploring plans for blue ammonia production in Western Australia

Mitsui & Co., Japan Oil, Gas & Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) and Wesfarmers will explore the feasibility of a blue ammonia production plant in Western Australia (WA). Mitsui plans to use its depleted gas fields in the Perth Basin as storage sites for carbon dioxide emissions, and will partner with JOGMEC and Wesfarmers to assess the technical feasibility of the plan. Wesfarmers (via its subsidiary Chemical Suppliers Australia) currently produces ammonia at its Kwinana facility outside of Perth (WA’s capital city). Further details are limited at this stage, but export of the blue product will be a focus of the feasibility study.

Canada, US & Australia providing blue ammonia to Japan

This announcement follows last month’s news that Mitsui and CF Industries will team up to assess the feasibility of blue ammonia production & export from the US. In August, Itochu and Petronas Canada are exploring plans for a 1 million tonne per year production facility in Alberta, with all product destined for export to Japanese markets. If feasible, construction of the Alberta facility is scheduled to begin by 2023.