Magazine: Nitrogen+Syngas

UAE-based chemicals and transition fuels hub TA’ZIZ has awarded an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract worth $1.7 billion to engineering company Samsung E&A to build the UAE’s first methanol plant. The facility will be located at the Al Ruwais Industrial City in the western part of the emirate of Abu Dhabi. It is projected to produce 1.8 million t/a green methanol, powered by clean energy from the grid, with the plant scheduled for completion in 2028.

Trammo, Inc. and ExxonMobil signed a heads of agreement to advance discussions for Trammo’s long-term offtake of 300-500,000 t/a of low-carbon ammonia from ExxonMobil’s Baytown, Texas facility. The facility is expected to produce virtually carbon-free ‘blue’ hydrogen with approximately 98% of CO2 removed, and will use this low-carbon hydrogen to make low-carbon ammonia. Trammo, a leading international physical commodity trader, will leverage its market and logistical expertise to deliver and sell in Europe and worldwide this unique low-carbon ammonia for use as fertilizer feedstock and for other key industrial applications.

Casale is partnering with Indian renewable energy company Avaada Group to develop a 1,500 t/d green ammonia plant in Gopalpur, Odisha. This represents India’s largest grassroots green ammonia facility to date, and will be powered entirely by renewable energy. Casale will provide the ammonia process license, basic engineering package, proprietary equipment, and detailed engineering review, ensuring the facility operates at the highest levels of efficiency and sustainability. The plant will use Casale’s FlexAMMONIA technology, part of the FLEXIGREEN® portfolio.

In its 4Q 2024 results presentation, Abu Dhabi-based Fertiglobe said that it expects to reach a final investment decision (FID) on two clean hydrogen and ammonia projects in the US and Egypt in 2025. Fertiglobe confirmed that FID on the ADNOC-ExxonMobil low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia project in Baytown, Texas, is expected in 2025, with operations anticipated to begin in 2029. ADNOC’s 35% equity stake in the project will be transferred to Fertiglobe at cost once the project is operational.

Gasgrid Finland Oy has awarded Worley a four-year framework agreement with an option for extension until 2032, to provide owners engineering services for Gasgrid’s hydrogen pipeline system development in Finland. This 1,100 km long hydrogen pipeline system is expected to link major hydrogen production and offtake centres across Finland and enable the development of hydrogen export routes to neighbouring markets. Gasgrid says that the planned hydrogen pipeline system will support cost-efficient, reliable and secure renewable energy market development for the Nordic countries and elsewhere in Europe. Worley will provide the OE services primarily through Worley’s offices in the Netherlands and Finland with support from the Global Integrated Delivery (GID) team in India.

H2 Global Energy says that it has completed initial studies for the development of a green hydrogen and ammonia plant in southern Morocco. With an anticipated production capacity of 1.0 million t/a of green ammonia, the project aims to use Morocco’s abundant solar and wind resources to produce green hydrogen, which will then be converted into green ammonia. Production is expected to be used in various sectors, including agriculture, transportation, and energy storage, supporting the global shift towards decarbonisation.

Johnson Matthey (JM) has released new production performance data which shows the significant improvements in efficiency of existing steam methane reformer (SMR) based hydrogen plants with the use of its catalyst, CATACEL SSR ™ . The company says that the data show that the catalyst can increase hydrogen plant capacity by 15% and reduce reformer energy use per unit of hydrogen by 15%, with a 5% reduction in gas consumption per unit hydrogen, as well as ease of installation, and enhanced durability and heat transfer. The catalyst uses uniquely engineered structures of thin metal foils, or “fans,” coated with catalysts through a proprietary process, which offer greater surface area, higher durability, and superior heat transfer, essential for high-temperature processes such as SMR.

Worley says that they have been selected by First Ammonia to provide front end engineering and design services for a new green ammonia facility in Victoria, Texas. This facility will have an initial anticipated production capacity of 300 t/d of green ammonia. First Ammonia also says that it will be the first in the US to use solid oxide electrolyser technology (SOEC) for hydrogen production, which are 30% more energy efficient compared to conventional electrolysers.

TotalEnergies has signed agreements with Air Liquide to develop two projects in the Netherlands for the production and delivery of some 45,000 t/a of green hydrogen produced using renewable power, generated mostly by the OranjeWind offshore wind farm, developed by TotalEnergies (50%) and RWE (50%). These projects will cut CO2 emissions from TotalEnergies’ refineries in Belgium and the Netherlands by up to 450,000 t/a and contribute to the European renewable energy targets in transport.

Australia’s NH3 Clean Energy, formerly Hexagon Energy Materials, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Pilbara Ports Authority to explore options for the loading and export of 600,000 tonnes per annum (TPA) of clean ammonia from its flagship WAH2 project. The MoU is intended to establish operational arrangements and binding agreements supporting ammonia export from the project, covering ship loading for both export and bunkering customers. Ammonia would be transported from the WAH2 plant to the port of Dampier by a newbuild pipeline located in the existing infrastructure corridor and loaded onto ships at the port’s bulk liquids berth, subject to availability and commercial agreements.