Yara and Enbridge to build blue ammonia plant in Texas

Norwegian chemical company Yara International’s clean ammonia unit and Canadian pipeline and energy firm Enbridge plan to build a low-carbon blue ammonia production plant in Texas.

PHOTO: Yara's ammonia production plant on the Herøya peninsula near Porsgrunn, Norway. Yara

The companies expect to invest up to $2.9 billion in the plant at the Enbridge Ingleside Energy Center near Corpus Christi. Once operational in 2027-2028, it will likely become Yara’s biggest production facility with capacity to produce 1.2-1.4 million mt/year of blue ammonia, the companies said.

Blue ammonia is made through steam reforming of natural gas with carbon capture, utilisation and storage. Yara intends to supply this low-carbon ammonia as a marine fuel, and to other outlets like power generation. It can also be used as a hydrogen carrier for long-haul transport on ships.

Yara plans to capture and transport around 95% of the CO2 that will be generated from the production process to a nearby permanent geologic storage site.

The US Gulf Coast location has been favored for its low natural gas prices compared to Europe, and as carbon capture is possible at an attractive cost there, Yara Clean Ammonia president Magnus Krogh Ankarstrand has told Reuters.

By Debarati Bhattacharjee

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