MOL Clean Energy backs Louisiana blue ammonia project

US-based MOL Clean Energy has joined the Ascension Clean Energy (ACE) project to build a blue ammonia production plant and export facility in Ascension Parish, Louisiana in the US.

PHOTO: Model of ammonia plant. Topsoe

"With this innovative project, MOL is investing not only for our future growth, but also helping promote the development and adoption of clean hydrogen-ammonia within our fleet and customer base," MOL Clean Energy's chief executive Tomoaki Ichida said.

MOL Clean Energy is the renewable energy arm of Japanese shipping major Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL).

Together with the other project partners, MOL aims to produce up to 7.2 million mt/year of blue ammonia using Danish tech company Topsoe’s ammonia technology.

Topsoe will use the Haber-Bosch process to first produce grey (fossil) ammonia by combining airborne nitrogen with hydrogen produced from steam methane reforming of natural gas feedstocks - in the presence of iron catalysts. Grey ammonia is reclassified as blue ammonia when the CO2 emitted from its production is captured and stored. The CO2 would otherwise have been released into the atmosphere.

The ACE ammonia project is led by hydrogen project development company Clean Hydrogen Works, along with pipeline operator Denbury and tanker operator Hafnia. Lines.

As part of the ACE project, Clean Hydrogen Works intends to capture up to 98% of CO2 emissions during the production process. Denbury will then transport this CO2 via a pipeline to underground carbon storage facilities in Louisiana.

The project partners say the low-emission blue ammonia can be supplied for bunkering, heavy transport or other "hard-to-abate sectors".

By Konica Bhatt

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