Incitec Pivot and Fortescue Future Industries to carry out green ammonia study

The study will assess whether industrial-scale manufacturing of green ammonia at Gibson Island is technically and commercially feasible on an existing brownfield site. It will investigate building a new water electrolysis facility on the site to produce around 50 000 tpy of renewable hydrogen, which would then be converted into green ammonia for Australian and export markets. Currently, the facility uses natural gas as a feedstock.

The project, if successful, will safeguard several hundred manufacturing jobs in Queensland, in addition to creating a new domestic and export market for green, renewable ammonia. The resulting green ammonia could also provide a low-carbon fuel supply to the Port of Brisbane and Brisbane airport.

This is the second major announcement by FFI this week in Queensland, following an announcement to establish the world’s largest electrolyser, renewable industry and equipment manufacturing centre, the Global Green Energy Manufacturing Centre (GEM), at Gladstone.

FFI is committed to generating 15 million tpy of green hydrogen by 2030, rising to 50 million t in the decade thereafter.

FFI Chief Executive Officer, Julie Shuttleworth AM, said: “FFI’s goal is to become the world’s leading, renewable energy and green products company, powering the Australian economy and creating jobs for Australia as we transition away from fossil fuels.

“FFI’s partnership with Incitec Pivot is an exciting opportunity to harness existing infrastructure at Gibson Island, fast tracking the production of green ammonia at an industrial scale,” Shuttleworth said.

Incitec Pivot Managing Director, Jeanne Johns, said: “We are pleased to be partnering our world-class manufacturing and ammonia expertise in Australia with FFI’s hydrogen and renewable energy capabilities to contribute to Australia’s potential as a green ammonia powerhouse.

“If feasible, this project would sustain highly skilled manufacturing jobs at Gibson Island and allow us to leverage our existing capabilities and assets to create a thriving renewable hydrogen ecosystem in Australia in the near term.”

FFI Chairman and Founder, Dr Andrew Forrest AO, said: “FFI’s plan is to turn regional Australia into the global green energy heart. This project will create Australia’s first green ammonia industry and will enable the decarbonisation of some of the hardest-to-decarbonise parts of industry, like cargo ships and iron ore bulk carriers. Not only will this create more jobs, but it will prove that existing infrastructure can be retrofitted to generate a zero-emissions energy source.”

Preliminary results from the feasibility study are expected to be available at the end of the year.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldfertilizer.com/project-news/11102021/incitec-pivot-and-fortescue-future-industries-to-carry-out-green-ammonia-study/