Massive clean ammonia projects are shaping up

A consortium including Mitsubishi Corporation, the South Korean chemical maker Lotte Chemical, and the German energy firm RWE are launching a study to develop a clean ammonia complex in Corpus Christi, Texas. The complex would produce both green ammonia, in which the hydrogen raw material is produced via electrolysis, and blue ammonia, in which the hydrogen is produced from natural gas but carbon dioxide emissions are captured and sequestered. The partners aim to have the first output by 2030 and ultimately ramp up to 10 million metric tons per year of ammonia capacity. They plan to export the ammonia to Asia and Europe. Separately, the industrial gas maker Linde has signed on as the hydrogen and nitrogen supplier for a blue ammonia project that OCI is developing in Beaumont, Texas. Linde plans to spend $1.8 billion to build an autothermal reformer, an air separation unit, and carbon-capture infrastructure at the site. OCI will spend $1 billion on the ammonia plant and is targeting a start-up in 2025.