Growing interest in green and blue ammonia for energy imports

Lucretia Löscher, COO thyssenkrupp Uhde: “We have conducted numerous feasibility studies for power-to-hydrogen-to-ammonia development projects. Incentive schemes such as the Inflation Reduction Act, H2 Global and Hydrogen Head Start support the competitiveness of these climate-friendly projects.”

thyssenkrupp Uhde’s competence center for green ammonia in Australia supports a broad variety of customers with techno-economic studies and optimisation concepts. In total, the studies already conducted would amount to a potential increase of the global production capacity by around 30 million tpy of green ammonia. To produce the required green hydrogen, electrolysers with more than 45 gigawatts would need to be installed with varying power supply configurations. The added-up capacities from the studies reflect a significant interest in ammonia as an energy vector, and this underlines its importance for shipping green hydrogen and green energy across the globe. This development marks a fundamental diversification of its primary use as a fertilizer feedstock.

As one of the world’s most traded base chemicals, ammonia is today mainly used for fertilizer production, with natural gas as a feedstock. However, more and more producers are looking for alternatives, and there are two main options. The first is 'blue ammonia', which is still produced from natural gas, but with the CO2 being captured and stored to reduce the carbon footprint as much as possible. The first projects are already underway, and many countries see this as a viable way to improve sustainability in the short term.

In the medium and long term, the green production of ammonia is key for a sustainable world. Only water, air and renewable electricity are needed to produce this high-demand base chemical in a completely emission-free way. As the global infrastructure for handling, storing, and transporting ammonia already exists, green ammonia could be produced in the sunny Gulf States, Australia or other renewable-rich countries and then transported to countries with high demand for renewable energy or hydrogen, such as many European countries. Ammonia has a volumetric energy density nearly 33% higher than liquid hydrogen, making it more efficient and cost-effective to transport. It also liquefies at -33°C, which is easier to achieve and maintain than the near-absolute-zero temperature of -253°C required for hydrogen liquefaction.

When green ammonia reaches its destination, it can be converted back into hydrogen by ammonia cracking, a technology which thyssenkrupp Uhde can also provide. This offers an alternative to fossil-based hydrogen and enables sustainable value chains for many chemicals. Even more efficient is the direct use of green ammonia, for example in gas turbines to generate power. This is already being tested in cofiring, and full ammonia turbines are also being developed.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldfertilizer.com/special-reports/07022024/growing-interest-in-green-and-blue-ammonia-for-energy-imports/