Ammonia co-firing trials will shortly commence in the Philippines, Thailand and Chile, with an initial focus on co-firing rates of 20-30% ammonia. Japanese energy giants JERA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries continue to be significant players in the co-firing space.
India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission includes more than $2 billion in direct government subsidies for both electrolyser manufacturing & the domestic production of electrolytic hydrogen using renewable electricity. On the ammonia front, ammonia-based fertiliser imports are set to be completely replaced by domestic production in 2034-5, and all major Indian ports will be required to establish ammonia bunkering & refueling facilities by 2035.
Greenko has ordered 140 MW of electrolysers from John Cockerill for its under-development renewable ammonia plant in northern India. Last year the pair agreed to build an electrolyser gigafactory in Kakinada, southern India, which will also be home to a Greenko renewable ammonia production plant. Phase one of the Kakinada project will produce 250,000 tonnes per year of renewable ammonia, with Uniper to act as exclusive off-taker for the ammonia product.
WinGD and CMB.TECH will team up to develop & deploy ammonia-fueled, two-stroke engines in ten Capesize bulk carriers, to be built at the Beihai shipyard in China. The pair will continue development of WinGD’s dual fuel X72DF design, which was first announced in December 2021. Delivery of the vessels is due in 2025-6.
IHI will explore the conversion of existing LNG import terminals into ammonia import facilities, allowing gas-fired power plants direct access to ammonia fuel. Mitsubishi Shipbuilding and INPEX have completed a conceptual design for a “highly flexible” ammonia bunkering vessel, putting another key piece of ammonia import infrastructure on the path to commercialisation.
As part of the HyEx project, Mitsui & Co., Toyo Engineering and Enaex will develop a solar-powered, 18,000 tonnes-per-year renewable ammonia plant in Tocopilla, northern Chile. Just outside of Tocopilla, Sumitomo and Chilean transmission utility Colbún have teamed up to explore renewable ammonia production & export. The pair will also assess million-tonne-per-year production in Chile’s south. Also in South America, Proton Ventures have contracted Fitchner to assess the feasibility of planned renewable production projects.
ACWA Power and the Uzbek government will jointly develop a pilot-scale renewable hydrogen facility, which is to be integrated with an existing ammonia & fertilizer plant outside the country’s capital Tashkent. The pair will also explore the feasibility of a 500,000 tonnes per year renewable ammonia facility in the Central Asian country.
In maritime ammonia updates this week: