Fluxys and Advario have issued a call for market interest in ammonia import capacity at their new, open-access terminal at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges. Fluxys is also engaged in the HyBex project, a pilot commodity trading hub that will help establish a hydrogen market in Belgium. Also in Europe, the Port of Rotterdam and the Port of Shannon Foynes will collaborate to develop a green fuels corridor.
Approved by the national cabinet, the draft law aims to create a legal framework for rapid development and expansion of hydrogen infrastructure, including ammonia import and cracking facilities. Relevant planning, approval and procurement procedures will be simplified and digitalized where possible, and projects covered by the Act will also be considered in the “overriding public interest”, with some important caveats. Germany’s national cabinet also approved a CCS Act this month, aimed at decarbonising hard-to-abate industrial processes.
thyssenkrupp Uhde will lead concept development of a 50 MW electrolysis facility adjacent to Fertiberia’s Puertollano plant. Together with Nel and Iberdrola’s existing 20 MW electrolysis facility operating nearby, enough electrolytic hydrogen feedstock will be produced to decarbonise 40% of Puertollano’s site emissions.
Two big players, Johnson Matthey and thyssenkrupp Uhde, will combine their CCS-based hydrogen and ammonia synthesis technologies to offer a new “blue” ammonia solution, enabling production with up to 99% CO2 capture.
2024 has already been a busy year, with ammonia discussions at an exciting phase. Despite the hesitancy and doubts about ammonia I have heard at recent events, I continue to deliver the same constructive messages, and urge the AEA membership and networks to use the information available to continue to promote ammonia. Our upcoming annual event in New Orleans will explore progress in establishing ammonia markets, and I can’t wait to see you all again in-person.
H2Carrier intends to develop two wind farms in far northern Norway with a combined capacity of 1.55 GW, which will power offshore hydrogen and ammonia production.
Nel will supply over 1 GW of alkaline electrolysers for Hy Stor Energy’s hydrogen production and storage hub project in Mississippi, USA. In other electrolyser news, Cepsa and Allied Green Ammonia have picked technology providers for their under-development projects in Spain and Australia.
The European Hydrogen Bank has awarded nearly €720 million to seven renewable hydrogen and ammonia projects. The funding will act to bridge the price gap between the cost of hydrogen production and the price buyers are willing to pay. Recipients will receive €0.37 - €0.48 in subsidies per kilogram of renewable hydrogen, and will collectively produce 1.58 million tons of renewable hydrogen over ten years. In conducting a transparent auction process, the European Commission has also provided vital insights into trends in demand for renewable hydrogen and ammonia.