Argus Clean Ammonia Europe Conference

• What is clean ammonia? What technology is needed (electrolysers and carbon capture)?
• What is the current market for ammonia?
• What is its role in the energy transition?

Global events and fundamental market changes: Where are global commodities and ammonia markets today?
Global commodities

• What has the impact of the Ukraine crisis on the macroeconomy and commodities been so far?
• Where is the long-term gas price going? Factoring costs of gas and power.
• Will the crisis accelerate the energy transition and the development of a market for green ammonia?

David Fyfe, Chief Economist, Argus

Ammonia markets

• How have ammonia markets been impacted? Where has the price gone and to what extent has the gap between green and grey ammonia narrowed?
• How have trade routes changed? What are the key regions to watch?
• Daily watch — spot market trade, ammonia swaps, providing liquidity and transparency in the market.

Ruth Sharpe, Editor - Ammonia, Argus

• What are the main opportunities in the adoption of clean ammonia and hydrogen? What has already been done to facilitate the transition? What is missing?
• What role will ammonia play in the government’s plan to diversify its sources of natural gas? How will LNG infrastructure play a role in the move towards energy independence?
• What are the main challenges Germany faces on the road to the decarbonisation of its transport, power and industrial sectors?

• To what extent will Europe produce vs import hydrogen and clean ammonia? What political support is in place for import of low carbon ammonia and what is missing?
• How are partnerships between regions and countries important for market development? What key partnerships have been announced? Who are they with?
• Changing perceptions of clean ammonia –improving public perception and safety concerns

Moderator: Jack Merriott, Senior Manager – Consulting, Argus

Speakers: 

Jacob Hansen, Director General, Fertilizers Europe

Thore Lohmann, Executive Director, thyssenkrupp

 Benedikt Messner, Senior Vice President, Uniper Global Commodities

• What targets are in place for decreasing EU dependency on fossil fuels?
• What more is needed to support the accelerated adoption of renewable hydrogen by 2030? What role is ammonia going to play?
• What makes these targets more ambitious?

Speakers include: 

Monika Griefhan, Chairwoman of the board, eFuel Alliance and founding member, Greenpeace Germany

Grzegorz Pawelec, Director, Intelligence, Hydrogen Europe

• Is this the most effective method of distinguishing between carbon intensities of products? Could CI pricing models more accurate for measuring carbon intensity and GHG savings?
• What certification schemes are being set? How will they work and what are the main benefits of them?
• How will introduction of CBAM and carbon pricing mechanisms in Europe be used within certification frameworks?

• What is the projected volume of production coming out of key regions? What will make most sense for European import?
• What are the forecast prices? What price point will trigger a massive transition?
• When are we likely to have a trading market for clean ammonia?

Project learnings and implementation — permitting, financing, licensing and implementation perspectives.

• What are the regulatory and permitting challenges being faced by ammonia projects? What are the most attractive regions or environments for these?
• What does financing for blue and green ammonia projects look like? How is financing being structured? What are some of the key elements of financial incentive?
• How will agreements with licensors be negotiated before there is an offtake agreement or funding in place? How is risk being managed?
• Who are the likely offtakers and are they pushing projects over the line yet?

Moderator: Alicia Eastman, President, InterContinental Energy

• What projects are in the pipeline for clean ammonia production in Europe?
• What is the projected availability of renewable power for clean ammonia production in Europe? What is the state of green hydrogen electrolyser capacity?
• What are the likely timelines for production at scale? What can be learnt from current pilot projects?

Location matters: Where will clean ammonia be available and produced at scale?

Middle East & North Africa

•  What is projected capacity of blue and green ammonia production in the Middle East?
• What projects are in the pipeline and what are the key bottlenecks? How might partnerships for offtake help achieve production at scale?
• What are the main hurdles to overcome in terms of regulation and logistics?

North America: US & Canada

• What is projected capacity of blue and green ammonia production in North America?
• How will blue ammonia play a role in the region? What are some of the main challenges?
• What are the main advantages of having Canada and the US as key energy partners? E.g. How can the East Coast arm of Canada assist on European development of alternative sources of energy?

Erik Mayer, VP Clean Energy Solutions, CF Industries

Oceania: Australia

• What MOUs have been signed for ammonia energy export? How is Australia positioning itself as a key partner in Germany’s energy transition?
• To what extent has Australia developed regulation to certify carbon values and emissions reductions? How important will this be for export projects?
• What stage of development are ammonia projects for export at? What is missing?

South America: Chile

• What projects are being developed in Chile for hydrogen and clean ammonia? What sectors do they span across?
• What information is missing from Europe on criteria for importing clean ammonia from other parts of the world?
• How are private-public partnerships working to develop production capacity?

Reviewing and discussing key takeaways from Around the world interview in a panel format

• What region is at the forefront of developing clean ammonia and hydrogen capacity?
• What are the common challenges across regions? How might these be mitigated? Are there common solutions?
• What are the main advantages of having different energy partners across the globe from a European point of view?

Speakers include:

Erik Mayer, VP Clean Energy Solutions, CF Industries

• What trends are we seeing from the fertilizer production side? How much has the market changed already and what is the outlook for further change?
• How do fertilizer producers see the market for clean ammonia and to what extent will it be absorbed into the fertilizer market?
• What is the business model for low carbon ammonia? What are the economics?

• Fitting clean ammonia in green energy hubs — where are these likely to emerge in Europe? What other key trade routes for clean energy are likely to develop?
• Ammonia crackers — a key enabler for hard to abate sectors? Is it economical? How will these link with potential ammonia pipelines and/or ammonia crackers?
• What are the main challenges with hydrogen transportation? How will the development of the European Hydrogen Backbone initiative help to accelerate market development?

Moderator: Stefan Krümpelmann, Hydrogen and Future Fuels Editor, Argus

• To what extent are ports and offtakers planning to buy ammonia to crack? How are they preparing ammonia import terminals?
• How big could this business be? How is the market looking to build confidence in the ammonia cracking pathway?
• What projects are potential offtakers involved in? What do these project timelines look like?

• What does the business case for converting to the use of clean hydrogen look like? What are the necessary hydrogen volumes?
• What role will ammonia cracking play in industrial areas? How will hydrogen and ammonia be transported in Europe?
• Will investments be easily earnt back – will customers pay the green premium?

Moderator: Stefan Krümpelmann, Hydrogen and Future Fuels Editor, Argus

• How does the power sector view the adoption of ammonia as an alternative in the phase out of coal?
• How will existing infrastructure be used? To what extent is retrofitting possible? What are the cost and timeline pros and cons?
• How are Germany and Japan specifically positioning themselves as demand centres?

Speakers include:

Akihiko Taniguchi, Executive Officer Global Partnerships, JERA

• When are we likely to see first orders for ammonia as a shipping fuel and how quickly will it grow to scale?
• What might be some of the key hurdles to overcome? Safety, infrastructure, engine technology, ammonia availability in the right location?
• What are the changes that will need to be made in the long term to make movement of ammonia as a fuel feasible?

Speakers include:

Sabas Martinez, Manager, NYK Energy Transport Atlantic

Christopher Stanik, Head of Maritime Applications, NOW GmbH National Organisation Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology

• How will this move the market and provide project confidence? Is this likely to happen for ammonia?
• What are some of the key learnings and milestones?