Yara Clean Ammonia (YCA) and VNG, a Leipzig-based gas company, announced on April 24 they plan a close collaboration in the field of clean ammonia that will actively support the ambitious implementation plans outlined in the German Hydrogen Strategy.
Ulf Heitmüller, VNG CEO, and Magnus Ankarstrand, YCA President, on April 24 signed an official cooperation agreement at the Yara plant in Poppendorf, near Rostock. It is a first step toward a future supply agreement between both parties and can eventually enable further projects to facilitate clean ammonia as a hydrogen and energy carrier into the German market, with Rostock as point of import.
Clean ammonia can be supplied from Yara to VNG, with the hydrogen and ammonia infrastructure in the Rostock plant used and with possible further development.
In line with its strategy “VNG 2030,” VNG wants to implement the transformation from today’s natural gas to renewable gases such as biogas or hydrogen, which also includes their storage and transport. It said the collaboration between both parties will strengthen its efforts to make clean hydrogen available to customers in the industry and the power sector in Germany.
In addition, both parties wish to intensify and develop the collaboration with the city of Rostock, and specifically Rostock port, to turn the port into a hub for clean ammonia imports. They said a perfect starting point is Yara’s expertise and existing and potentially extendable infrastructure, as well as the proximity to the extensive pipeline network of ONTRAS Gastransport GmbH, a subsidiary of VNG.
They said the collaboration would significantly promote and facilitate the ongoing work related to “Green Port Rostock” expanding capacity, initiating new industry activities connected to clean ammonia and hydrogen, and thus contributing to the development of the city and port of Rostock, the surrounding region, and the Federal State of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
“The German Energiewende and the Hydrogen Strategy makes Germany a CenterPoint for development and implementation of the low carbon hydrogen and ammonia value chains,” said YCA’s Ankarstrand. “Yara is already well positioned to take part in this development with our import terminals in Rostock and Brunsbüttel, and we see the collaboration with VNG as a very important step to help developing the low carbon hydrogen value chains in Germany.”