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Danish partnership to build world?s first commercial-scale green ammonia plant

Already from 2022, the plant will produce green ammonia from renewable power and prevent 8,200 tons of CO2 from being emitted into the atmosphere every year. (Image source: Haldor Topsoe)

Skovgaard Invest, supported by Vestas, and Haldor Topsoe has set out to build world?s first commercial-scale green ammonia plant

The plant will be located in Western Jutland, Denmark, and will produce more than 5,000 ton green ammonia from renewable power annually. This production will prevent 8,200 tons of CO2 from being emitted into the atmosphere every year.

Around 12MW existing V80-2.0MW Vestas wind turbines and 50 MW new solar panels will power an electrolyser unit that will produce hydrogen which will subsequently be processed into ammonia. Such processes are commonly referred to as ?Power-to-X?.

Green ammonia has huge potential in the global effort to substitute fossil fuels with sustainable alternatives. It has been highlighted as a superior green fuel for international shipping that currently accounts for around 2% of global energy-related CO2 emissions.

The cost of green ammonia is currently significantly higher than that of comparable ammonia from fossil fuel. To improve the business case and increase the attractiveness of green ammonia as a substitute for fossil fuels, Haldor Topsoe and Vestas are developing a dynamic, scalable and cost-optimized solution.

Haldor Topsoe will design the plant?s fully dynamic ammonia technology to secure optimal production and adapt to the inherent fluctuations in power output from wind turbines and solar panels. The ammonia plant will interface to a green hydrogen solution developed by Vestas, integrating electrolysis with wind and solar in one smart control system. In addition, the renewable energy generation will be connected directly to the national grid so surplus power can be sold to the grid.

When in operation, this lighthouse project will deliver proof of concept and experience that can pave the way for larger Power-to-X projects in the future. The project has been specifically designed to provide the necessary know-how and operational experience in order to upscale the dynamic ammonia plant in new projects.

?This project proves to the world that we can produce a very clean fuel from renewable power at industrial scale as soon as in 2022. We have available the technologies we need to begin the transition towards renewable fuels and reduce carbon emissions, and with the innovations in this project, we push the limits for how fluctuating renewable energy is used in direct synthesis of clean fuels,? said Kim Gr?n Knudsen, chief strategy and innovation officer, Haldor Topsoe.

?In Skovgaard Invest, we have the ambition to develop more and larger Power-to-X projects in the region, and we see many potential off takers, for example within agriculture, the marine industry, and export potential out of nearby industrial harbours,? said J?rgen Skovgaard from Skovgaard Invest.