Yara and Kyushu Electric to collaborate on clean ammonia

Under the new MoU, Yara and Kyushu Electric will work to establish clean ammonia supply chains to decarbonise coal-fired power generation in Kyushu, Japan. The MoU also foreshadows the pair will promote the use of ammonia energy solutions in other sectors on Japan’s third-largest island.

Under the MoU, Yara and Kyushu are targeting collaboration in the following two areas:

– To jointly develop Clean Ammonia end-to-end supply chain to Kyushu’s coal thermal power generation plants in the Kyushu region, Japan

– To jointly develop a receiving and distribution system of Clean Ammonia for usage in a wide range of fields around the Kyushu region, Japan

Official press release, 27 September 2021

Coal-ammonia co-firing in Kyushu

According to its public assets guide, Kyushu Electric operates three 700 MW coal-fired power generating units in Kyushu. Based on official Japanese government figures, a 1,000 MW coal-power unit co-firing with 20% ammonia consumes 500,000 tonnes of ammonia per year. If each Kyushu coal unit co-fires with 20% ammonia, more than 1 million tonnes of clean ammonia will be required on the island each year, and that’s just for partial decarbonisation of Kyushu Electric’s thermal power generation. Note too that 20% co-firing is just the beginning: by 2050 JERA aims to be combusting 100% ammonia fuel in retrofitted coal power stations. The opportunities for ammonia energy solutions in Kyushu are clearly significant.