Yara International ASA is to begin construction on an A$70 million hydrogen-powered ammonia plant at its existing ammonia production site in the Pilbara in Western Australia in October, according to a report by the Australian Financial Review. Operations are targeted to start by 2023.
Yara and French energy and services major ENGIE propose to build a renewable hydrogen plant with 23 MW of solar and a 10-MW electrolyser at the site to support the production of renewable ammonia. According to the AFR report, ENGIE is on track to finalize supply contracts by the end of this year.
The first concrete phase of the project will produce up to 625 mt/y of renewable hydrogen and 3,700 mt/y of green ammonia.
The two companies in May secured a A$42.5 million (approximately US$30.9 million at current exchange rates) grant in Australian funding for the renewable hydrogen plant, under the ARENA Renewable Hydrogen Deployment Funding Round (GM May 7, p. 44).