The Victoria County Navigation District reported on Dec. 16 that it is in discussions with First Ammonia LLC, New York City, for one of the world’s first commercial-scale green ammonia facilities, to be built at the Port of Victoria in Texas. First Ammonia is considering a lease with a 50-year option on 115 acres at the Port’s newly founded Texas Logistics Center.
The company would be the center’s first customer to capitalize on the Port’s recent infrastructure investments. If the contract comes to fruition, First Ammonia would be investing an initial $275 million in infrastructure, with the possibility of a complete buildout totaling $1 billion.
The plant would use renewable solar and wind power to fuel energy-efficient solid oxide electrolyzer cells (SOEC) that produce ammonia from water and air. The plant is expected to be fully operational in late 2025 and would create approximately 50 locally sourced jobs.
First Ammonia will conduct due diligence and site design over the next year before making a final decision.
“First Ammonia is committed to green energy production, and the Port’s water access and central location between Houston and Corpus Christi provide an economical way to ship our green ammonia,” said First Ammonia CEO Joel Moser. “This, combined with Victoria’s business-friendly mindset and community commitment, make for a mutually beneficial partnership to bring both green jobs and green energy to the region.”
Danish technology provider Topsoe A/S, Copenhagen, and First Ammonia on Sept. 14 inked a capacity reservation agreement to kickstart the global market for green ammonia (GM Sept. 16, p. 1). The deal provides for First Ammonia’s initial purchase of 500MW of Topsoe’s SOECs, with the deal expandable to up to 5GW over its lifetime.
At 5GW, First Ammonia could eventually produce some 5 million mt/y of green ammonia. The company has not specified how much ammonia it expects to produce at the Port of Victoria.
First Ammonia is developing a global network of modular, commercial-scale plants to produce green ammonia using the Topsoe technology. In September, the company said the first 500MW of capacity would be installed in plants under development in the southwestern US and in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. Both the US and German plants are expected to be up in 2025.