Yara International has signed recently a Letter of Intent with Statkraft, and Aker Horizons, aiming to establish Europe’s first large-scale green ammonia project in Norway, enable the hydrogen economy and accelerate the green energy transition. The partners will target green hydrogen and green ammonia opportunities within shipping, agriculture and industrial applications, by electrifying Yara’s existing ammonia facility in Porsgrunn. (Photo quoted from Yara’s official website)

The partners plan to electrify and decarbonize Yara’s ammonia plant in Porsgrunn. Building on their combined expertise, the partners aim to fully remove CO2 emissions from ammonia production, thereby producing emission-free fuel for shipping, carbon-free fertilizer and ammonia for industrial applications.

The conversion of Yara’s existing ammonia plant has the potential to become one of the largest climate initiatives in Norway’s industrial history, targeting annual CO2 reductions equivalent to the emissions from more than 300,000 fossil fuel passenger cars. Provided that power is available at the site and the required public co-funding is in place, the project could be realized within 5-7 years. In addition to the Porsgrunn project, the three companies plan to explore the potential for green ammonia production in Northern Norway as a future opportunity.

Shipping currently accounts for 2 percent of global GHG emissions, of which long-distance shipping represents 80 percent. Converting all long-distance shipping to ammonia would require approximately 500-600 million tons of ammonia annually, 3-4 times the current world production. The Norwegian shipping industry has a stated ambition to reduce emissions from domestic shipping by 50 percent by 2030, which will require significant green hydrogen production.

Yara’s Porsgrunn plant is well set up for large-scale production and export, allowing Norway to quickly play a role in the hydrogen economy. Constructing a new ammonia plant and associated infrastructure is typically a capital-intensive process, but by utilizing Yara's existing ammonia plant and associated infrastructure in Porsgrunn, valued at USD 450 million, the total capital requirement for the project is significantly reduced compared with alternative green field locations.

Ammonia’s chemical properties make it ideally suited for the hydrogen economy. It does not need to be refrigerated to the same temperatures as hydrogen, and has a higher energy density than liquid hydrogen, making it more efficient to transport and store. Ammonia is therefore the most promising hydrogen carrier and zero-carbon shipping fuel.

(IRuniverse)