WEEKLY NEWS ROUND UP
Welcome to our Weekly News Round Up of interesting articles in the sustainability space!
Here are our top 5 news pieces for this week with key takeaways:
1. Climate tech explained: Fertiliser
- Today, ammonia-derived nitrogen #fertilisers are used to grow crops that feed about half of the global population. Some 80 per cent of the #ammonia currently produced ends up in crop nutrients. The catch, however, is that the process for producing ammonia — named after those two scientists, Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch — absorbs huge quantities of #fossilfuel ??
- ‘Green’ ammonia can now be made using #renewable energy sources, with far fewer emissions. So, as the world’s population swells towards 10bn by 2050, the innovation could help global food production keep pace — without such a heavy #environmental cost ??
- With #agriculture accounting for around a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions, and nitrogen-based fertiliser contributing a hefty chunk of that, green ammonia has the potential to make a significant dent in emissions. Its promise also lies in providing a green alternative to fossil fuels in transportation and power generation ?
- Fertiliser giant
Yara International
opened Europe’s biggest green hydrogen plant in Norway last month. The plant will produce enough green hydrogen to account for about 4 per cent — or 20,000 tonnes — of ammonia produced at the site, using a 24MV #electrolyser. This will then be used to make between 60,000 and 80,000 tonnes of fertiliser ??
- Some of the most promising projects are being pursued by newcomers.
ATOME
, for example, plans to produce green hydrogen using #hydropower from Paraguay’s Itaipu hydroelectric dam, the second largest hydroelectric dam in the world, which is half the price of green power in Europe, according to its CEO
Olivier Mussat
??
- More #sustainable fertiliser production will help players along the food value chain, from farmers to supermarkets, which are under pressure to reduce emissions ??
2. Fertiglobe secures €397m pilot H2Global contract for Egyptian green ammonia
-
Fertiglobe
has secured a €397m ($432m) contract to supply its Egyptian-produce green hydrogen-based ammonia to Germany under the first H2Global auction ??
- The
OCI Global
and Abu Dhabi state-owned
ADNOC Group
joint venture has committed to supply renewable #ammonia from 2027 at a delivered contract price of €1,000 ($1,087) per tonne until 2033 ??
- With at least 397,000 tonnes of green ammonia (70,000 tonnes of hydrogen) expected to be #imported into Germany over the first contract’s period, the BMWK says the pilot scheme will allow green hydrogen to be secured at a price of €4.5/kg ($4.89) ??
- In its 2023 update of its national hydrogen #strategy, Germany predicted imports would meet 50-70% of its 95-130tWH 2030 hydrogen demand ??
- Fertiglobe plans to produce the green ammonia using hydrogen produced by the Egypt Green Hydrogen project between Fertiglobe,
Scatec ASA
,
Orascom Construction PLC
,
The Sovereign Fund of Egypt
and the
Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC)
?
- The project, which is still awaiting final investment decision (FID), plans to use a 100MW #electrolyser, powered by 270MW of renewables to produce 13,000 tonnes of green hydrogen annually at Fertiglobe’s existing ammonia plant in Ain Sokhna, Egypt ??
3. How Green Ammonia Is Accelerating Sustainability
- Hygenco Green Energies is pioneering the production of #greenammonia in India. This significant step supports
Ameropa
's shift towards #sustainable agriculture, underlining the importance of this partnership ??
- This agreement shows that all signs point to #netzero. It also underscores India's desire to take a leading position globally in the green ammonia sector. By harnessing its #renewable energy resources, India is setting a powerful example ??
- According to the
International Energy Agency (IEA)
, while 29% of the #electricity sector is decarbonizing, only 10% of industrial process heat is doing so. This is a stark reminder of the urgency to act. In reality, electricity accounts for 20% of #energy worldwide, industrial use comprises 26%, and transportation and building use make up the balance ?
- According to
Roots Analysis
, the global green ammonia #market is projected to reach $701 million by 2024, with an anticipated growth rate of more than 72% from 2024 to 2032. DNV GL predicts that ammonia fuel will be widely adopted starting in 2037 and will constitute 25% of the maritime fuel mix by 2050. This trajectory is good news in the journey towards #decarbonization ??
- Projects in #Denmark and #Australia are exploring the production of green ammonia using renewable energy sources like #wind and #solar power. Major shipping, energy, and #agricultural companies are also interested in green ammonia ??
- This momentum positions green ammonia as a catalyst to more sustainable industrial practices, reflecting a shared commitment to #environmental stewardship and a low-carbon future. Future success depends on attracting capital, building scale, and cutting costs—integral to reducing heavy industry's greenhouse gas emissions ??
4. Stamicarbon (MAIRE) to provide NX Stami Green Ammonia and NX Stami Nitric Acid Technologies for low-carbon fertilizer plant in France
-
Stamicarbon
, together with
NEXTCHEM
Tech, has been awarded a #feasibility study and a pre-FEED contract from
FertigHy
. Under this contract, Stamicarbon will provide its NX Stami Green AmmoniaTM and NX Stami Nitric AcidTM #technologies for FertigHy’s first low-carbon fertilizer plant in #France ??
- The plant, which is scheduled to start #construction in 2027, will produce 500 000 tpy of low-carbon nitrogen-based fertilizers, from hydrogen obtained by #renewable and low carbon electricity ??
- NX Stami Green AmmoniaTM facilitates environmentally friendly ammonia production by using hydrogen obtained through water #electrolysis rather than fossil fuel reforming. This technology offers a sustainable and economically viable alternative to conventional processes, paving the way for producing fuels and fertilizers from renewable #energy sources ??
- "We are delighted to be part of this groundbreaking project, which aligns perfectly with our commitment to pioneering sustainable fertilizer technologies. Our role in this project provides an opportunity to contribute towards improving global food security through low-carbon solutions," said
Pejman Djavdan
, CEO of Stamicarbon. "We look forward to participating in this initiative and helping to drive sustainable practices in the fertilizer industry."??
5. Dutch students complete North Sea crossing in self-built hydrogen boat
- A team of Dutch #students have completed a 169-km voyage across the North Sea in a self-built hydrogen-powered #boat ??
- Departing from Breskens in the #Netherlands on July 11 at 11am, the TU Delft Hydro Motion Team faced its fair share of adversity. An earlier attempt on July 9 was waived off due to technical problems that occurred a day earlier as a risk of thunderstorms ?
- Within the first few kilometres of the successful crossing, the team says a cooling pump broke, forcing the students to make a pitstop in Zeebrugge to replace the pump in “record time.” ??♀?
- Despite the challenges, the team and its #vessel made it safely to Ramsgate on Kent’s coastline before 11pm local time ??
- The eight-metre boat, powered by a hydrogen #fuelcell system, used just 12.9kg of the 25kg of hydrogen stored onboard for the crossing, with a cruising speed of 40km/h ??
- “When we show what our boat can do, we prove the viability of hydrogen. By working together with the maritime industry itself we can initiate action,” the team said. “We are all part of a problem, which means we can all be part of the solution. Only by working together, we can turn the tide.” ??
ATOME in the press ??
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