UK and EU weigh tariff cuts as fertilizer rules tighten
UK and EU policymakers are trying to bring down fertilizer costs without losing control of safety, climate and trade risks.
UK and EU policymakers are trying to bring down fertilizer costs without losing control of safety, climate and trade risks.
A coalition of European energy-intensive industries, including Fertilizers Europe, has called for an EU-wide cap on electricity network tariffs, warning that rising grid charges are becoming a “structural burden” on their global competitiveness and threatening investment in decarbonisation.
Strait of Hormuz disruptions linked to the Iran war have choked off fertilizer shipments from the Middle East and pushed prices sharply higher, prompting a wave of emergency support and trade measures as governments try to shield farmers ahead of key planting seasons.
Brussels has put Europe’s gas‑exposed fertilizer industry at the centre of its new Fertilizer Action Plan, warning that high energy costs and plant closures threaten the region’s nitrogen capacity and long‑term food security.
VK Arora of Kinetics Process Improvements, Inc. (KPI) looks at how – while carbon border taxes may reshape ammonia trade – the economics of hydrogen and electricity will ultimately determine the long-term competitiveness of European production.
HyOrc Corporation says that it has signed a project development and technology agreement with Bulgaria-based OnEnergy Group to develop a waste-to-methanol facility. Under the agreement, HyOrc will serve as the technology partner for Stage 3 of the project, which focuses on thermochemical conversion of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) into green methanol. The facility is designed to process approximately 50,000 t/a of RDF, operating around 330 days per year with a daily throughput of approximately 150-155 t/d. Expected methanol production capacity is approximately 38-42 t/d (13,200 t/a), subject to final engineering configuration.
Swedish e-fuel developer Liquid Wind and Finnish energy company Turun Seudun Energiantuotanto (TSE) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the development of a green methanol plant at Naantali, Finland. The facility is planned to be adjacent to TSE’s local power plant, Naantali 4, which will deliver biogenic CO 2 and steam for the production of methanol. Process and waste heat will be used for district heating, reducing the share of incineration-based district heat production by TSE. Once operational, the plant is expected to produce 100,000 t/a of green methanol made from green hydrogen and biogenic CO 2 . The final investment decision (FID) is planned for 2026, and the facility is expected to be operational in 2029.
Perpetual Next has selected Bilfinger Engineering & Consultancy as lead consultant for its Methanol Moerdijk project, a planned biomethanol facility in the Port of Moerdijk, the Netherlands. The appointment covers environmental impact assessment and permitting support for the development of the project. Under the agreement, Bilfinger will support Methanol Moerdijk BV with key permitting activities, including the environmental impact assessment (MER/ EIA), support for environmental and nature permits, stakeholder and authority coordination, and project management and quality assurance. The Methanol Moerdijk project is being developed as a large-scale biomethanol facility intended to convert approximately 313,000 t/a of biologically-derived carbon into around 216,000 t/a of biomethanol.
Hydrogen Poland and the Hungarian Hydrogen Technology Association (HHTA) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to cooperate on hydrogen regulations and green ammonia production across Central Europe, according to media reports.
We speak with Ilya Motorygin, Managing Partner and Co-founder of GG Trading DMCC.