Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (ADNOC) has shipped the “first of several test cargoes” of low-carbon ammonia to Hamburg, Germany, the state-owned energy firm announced September 1.
Developed by Fertiglobe, a partnership between ADNOC and OCI, the demonstration cargo will be the first of several test cargoes sold in Germany as ADNOC develops its hydrogen partnership.
The demonstration cargo will be delivered to Hamburg,Germany-headquartered company Aurubis, a provider of non-ferrous metals and one of the largest copper recyclers worldwide.
Ammonia’s low-carbon potential
The cargo follows a number of similar low-carbon ammonia sales that have been made to customers in Asia. Aurubis plans to utilize the low-carbon ammonia as a feedstock in its wire rod plant, testing its application as an additional, lower-carbon energy source for industrial utilisation. The hydrogen it contains has the potential to be a low-carbon energy alternative for the energy-intensive processes in multi-metal production.
For ADNOC, the shipment marks a key milestone in the planned scale-up of hydrogen and low-carbon ammonia production capabilities in Abu Dhabi, where ADNOC is developing a 1 mtpa low-carbon ammonia plant at TA’ZIZ, the chemicals, industrial services and logistics hub in the Ruwais Industrial Complex.
Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and ADNOC’s managing director and group CEO, said the cargo “builds upon the longstanding bilateral relationship between the UAE and Germany in clean energy.”
The collaboration also underlines ADNOC’s ambitious growth plans for the production of clean hydrogen, and its carrier fuels such as ammonia, which will play a critical role in decarbonizing hard-to-abate industrial sectors, Al Jaber added.
ADNOC plans to significantly grow its hydrogen production in support of the UAE’s ambition to supply up to 25% of imported hydrogen in key global markets. Germany’s national hydrogen strategy expects an import demand for clean hydrogen of approximately 3 mtpa by 2030 and up to 15 mtpa by 2050 when, according to research from the Hydrogen Council, hydrogen could meet up to 18% of the world’s energy demand.
Low-carbon ammonia is the most promising at-scale hydrogen carrier and potential clean fuel for a wide range of applications, including transportation, power generation and industrial, including steel, cement, and fertilizer production. It is made from nitrogen and clean hydrogen derived from natural gas feedstocks, with the carbon dioxide by-product from hydrogen production captured and stored.
