Day two of CRU’s Nitrogen+Syngas Expoconference 2026 saw the conference move into its technical sessions, run in three parallel streams covering everything from low carbon hydrogen production, sustainable plants, emissions reductions, carbon capture, ammonia plant operations, syngas and methanol production to asset safety and maintenance. Blue ammonia One of the things that struck me most, […]
CRU’s Nitrogen+Syngas Expoconference 2026 returned to Barcelona for its second year running to discuss the state of the industry, both economically and technically. The opening included a tribute to Casale’s late Dr Umberto Zardi by Norbert Ringer of Clariant and Lisa Connock, Managing Editor of Nitrogen+Syngas magazine. Dr Zardi, whose obituary we carried in issue […]
EU Executive Vice‑President Stéphane Séjourné published an op‑ed calling for tying European public funding to companies that commit a substantial share of production to the EU. The piece, syndicated in several major outlets including Handelsblatt on 2 February 2026, was presented as a call signed by 1,141 European business and union leaders. “Whenever European public […]
Fertilizer Latino Americano (FLA) conference report.
World Energy GH2 has shelved its 1.2 GW green hydrogen and ammonia project in Stephenville, Newfoundland, after failing to secure offtake agreements. Project Nujio’qonik was conceived as a major green hydrogen/ammonia scheme backed by 2 GW of new wind capacity, intended to export green ammonia to Europe. However, despite a $50 million investment from South Korea’s SK Eco-plant and high-profile endorsement by then German chancellor Olaf Scholz, the developer has confirmed that the project is being replaced by a new initiative, called Clean Grid Atlantic, which will use the wind resource to power domestic markets instead.
Johnson Matthey (JM) has officially opened its first hydrogen internal combustion engine facility, where emission control systems will be tested. Hydrogen internal combustion engines use zero carbon hydrogen fuel in tried-and-tested engine technology, presenting a viable path for decarbonising medium and heavy-duty transport, such as trucks and buses.
Spain’s Methanol Reformer has signed a sales and purchase agreement with Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, Inc. (MGC) for the supply of an L18 methanol reformer compliant with Japanese industry requirements. The system will be delivered and installed at MGC’s Niigata plant, with commissioning planned for the second half of 2026. Methanol Reformer says that this, their first industrial project in Japan, reinforces the company’s presence in the Asian market, while for MGC, the collaboration supports the adoption of innovative hydrogen-generation solutions designed to enhance operational applicability and efficiency with reliability.
Clariant says it is collaborating in Repsol’s pioneering methanol plant in El Morell near Tarragona, Spain. The Ecoplanta project will be the first of its kind in Europe to convert municipal waste into renewable methanol, using Enerkem’s advanced waste gasification process, supported by a range of Clariant’s syngas purification catalysts and its highly active MegaMax methanol synthesis catalysts. Scheduled for completion in 2029, the plant will use 400,000 t/a of non-recyclable solid municipal waste to produce 240,000 t/a of methanol.
BASF and OCI Global have agreed for the first deliveries of renewable ammonia produced at BASF’s site in Ludwigshafen in order to produce low-carbon fertilizers at OCI’s site in Geleen. This initiative expands OCI’s low-carbon portfolio and introduces the “Pure” product line, delivering the same fertilizer quality at a substantially reduced carbon footprint without compromising on performance. BASF says that its renewable ammonia is certified according to ISCC PLUS and is produced using a mass balance approach, through which renewable energy-derived hydrogen is attributed to the renewable ammonia grades.
Air Water Gas Solutions, a subsidiary of Air Water America, will build an air separation unit to support the production of 1.1 million t/a of blue methanol at Sandpiper Chemicals’ blue methanol facility in the US. The low carbon methanol producer has contracted Air Water to design, build, and operate the ASU to provide oxygen, nitrogen, and instrument air for blue methanol production. The project is still at the pre-final investment decision (FID) stage, with production targeted for 2030.