The Ammonia Wrap: green bunker fuel hub planned for the Baltic Sea
By on June 15, 2021
Welcome to the Ammonia Wrap: a summary of all the latest announcements, news items and publications about ammonia energy.
Future green bunker fuel hub planned for Bornholm
60,000 ships pass by the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea every year, and now an international consortium is exploring ways to turn the island into a green maritime fuels bunker hub. This week the consortium – including Orsted and Haldor Topsoe – launched a feasibility study into the production of green fuels from local offshore wind power. Back in 2019 Orsted first proposed converting Bornholm into the world’s first “energy island” by developing 3-5 GW of offshore wind farms, as well as constructing new electricity interconnectors to link it with the German and Swedish national grids.
More Haldor Topsoe news
And more news from Haldor Topsoe this week, announcing the formation of a new, green hydrogen-dedicated business organisation. Topsoe is looking to accelerate their electrolysis development work, and this year have also announced their intent to construct a new, large-scale solid-oxide electrolysis cell manufacturing facility in Germany.
Australia partners up
The Australian government have announced two new partnerships:
- an MoU with Singapore to work on low emissions shipping fuels (including hydrogen and ammonia), and
- an agreement with Germany to invest in and support realisation of demonstration projects and pilots along the hydrogen supply chain, and to facilitate the trade of hydrogen (and derivatives such as ammonia) between Australia and Germany based on long-term supply contracts.
23 key players kick-off ammonia maritime fuel study
23 significant maritime stakeholders have announced a joint study into ammonia as a maritime fuel. The coalition will explore the development of safety guidelines, safe bunkering, fuel specifications and certifying the carbon intensity of the fuel post-production.
$100 billion hydro-hydrogen and ammonia in the DRC
Fortescue announced it is close to agreeing on a deal with the Democratic Republic of Congo government to fully develop the Grand Inga hydroelectric power project. Grand Inga could potentially be twice the size of China’s Three Gorges Dam once completed, and Fortescue intends to use the 40 GW of hydropower to produce green hydrogen and green ammonia for global export.
Egypt planning $4 billion green hydrogen project
Egypt’s Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy plans to invest $4 billion in a green hydrogen-from-electrolysis project, with feasibility studies currently underway. Egypt has already set aside 7,000 square kilometers of land for “renewable energy production”, with an estimated generation potential of 90 GW. Earlier this month we reported on two Egyptian government agreements with private companies to develop export projects in the country: one with thyssenkrupp and one with Siemens.
AP Ventures leads investment in Amogy
Ammonia start-up Amogy just completed a successful funding round to help develop zero-carbon mobility solutions. Already this year AP Ventures has led ammonia-related funding rounds at Starfire Energy and Hazer Group (see this Ammonia Wrap from April).
Full steam ahead for MS Green Ammonia
More detail this week on Grieg Maritime and Wartsila’s collaboration for the development of the ammonia-powered, ammonia-carrying tanker vessel MS Green Ammonia. A “green ammonia ecosystem” centered on the Norwegian town of Berlevag is in the works. The MS Green Ammonia will ship Berlevag-made green ammonia to other markets, but the ammonia will be used locally for heat applications, industrial processes and power generation.
New blue ammonia plant in Canada
Hydrogen Canada will lead the development of a 1,700-tonne-per-day blue ammonia plant utilising natural gas (steam-methane reforming or auto-thermal reforming) with on-site CCS. Details are preliminary on this Alberta-based project, but completion is expected by 2027.
New engineering contracts signed for key blue ammonia projects
And two engineering contracts were finalised this week:
- Horisont Energi’s Hammerfest project engaged Saipem and Technip Energies to complete its technical studies, and
- ADNOC awarded Wood the contract for design of its 1 million-tonne-per-year blue ammonia plant in Abu Dhabi.
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*This article was updated on advice from Hydrogen Canada