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.
GE and IHI will define a technology roadmap to convert existing GE gas turbine models to run on up to 100% ammonia fuel by 2030, with implementation & testing of prototypes to follow. A “retrofittable” ammonia combustion system will be developed for three utility-scale GE models, with the potential to roll the technology out across GE’s existing Asian turbine fleet.
JERA has signed MoUs this week with two significant ammonia producers, potentially securing the supply of one million tonnes of clean ammonia fuel to Japan each year from 2027. JERA has signed exploratory agreements for 500,000 tonnes of clean ammonia fuel each with CF Industries and Yara Clean Ammonia, and will also explore investment options in greenfield mega-projects on the US Gulf Coast.
IHI Corporation has announced three new ammonia partnerships this month. In the UAE, it will embark on Dubai’s first “green” ammonia feasibility study with the Emirates National Oil Company Group, with a solar-powered pilot plant to be built. In Malaysia, IHI and Petronas subsidiary Gentari Hydrogen will explore ammonia production from solar power in Johor, Malaysia. And following its investment in US-based Starfire Energy in November, IHI and Japan-based Angel Navi will identify more decarbonisation venture opportunities in Japan and around the world.
The Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore and the country’s Energy Market Authority (EMA) have jointly launched an EOI process to build, own and operate low or zero-carbon ammonia power generation and bunkering projects on Jurong Island. A project lifetime of 25 years is stipulated, with operations to begin in 2027 or before.
In this week’s maritime ammonia news:
Kepco and the Hydrogen Utility have signed an offtake agreement for renewable ammonia produced at the under-development H2-Hub in Gladstone, Queensland. The pair will develop supply chains for the ammonia product to be exported to Korea, where it will be used to decarbonise power stations. In Western Australia, two new renewable energy-powered, million-tonne-per-year projects have been launched, with Korean-based KOMIPO and Australia-based Progressive Green Solutions agreeing to develop the new export plants.
Johnson Matthey and Doosan Enerbility will develop hydrogen-fueled, closed cycle gas turbine power plants in South Korea. Johnson Matthey will provide cracking technology and catalysts to convert ammonia into pure hydrogen fuel, while Doosan is currently developing a 380 MW, 100% hydrogen fed gas turbine, which will reportedly be complete by 2027. The two will work together to integrate cracking & CCGT technologies, potentially providing a blueprint for similar power plants in the future.
Singapore’s government has launched an official hydrogen strategy for the island nation. Ammonia plays a key role in the maritime sector’s multi-fuel transition, with other direct uses emerging in Singapore’s energy future: fertiliser, industrial feedstock and power generation.
MHI, Keppel Infrastructure and DNV have agreed to explore the feasibility and deployment of a 100% ammonia-fired gas turbine on Jurong Island, Singapore. In Indonesia, MHI and Bandung Institute of Technology will work together to demonstrate 100% ammonia firing with MHI’s H-25 Series, 40 MW gas turbine.