Idemitsu studying green ammonia production in Australia

Japanese refiner Idemitsu has started feasibility study of green ammonia production, storage and sales with Australia's renewable power developer Energy Estate and Queensland state-owned CS Energy in November, aiming to begin production by the second half of the 2020s.

Idemitsu and its partners aim to produce ammonia by using renewable energy such as solar and wind power, and store and export the green ammonia from Abbot Point port in Queensland. They plan to desalinate seawater to generate hydrogen, feedstock of ammonia, while examining construction of power plants and desalination facilities. The firms aim to produce 500,000 t/yr of green ammonia at the site.

Idemitsu also plans to study exports of green ammonia from Abbot Point port to Japan.

Japanese companies have attempted to develop an ammonia supply chain because of the country's 2050 decarbonisation goal. Domestic power utilities have decided to join forces to consider buying ammonia together to reduce costs, cooperate in transportation and storage of the fuels and lobby for government support. Japanese state-controlled energy agency Jogmec also renewed an agreement with Vietnamese state-owned oil company PetroVietnam to collaborate in ammonia production research.

By Nanami Oki