Under the agreement, Topsoe’s solid oxide electrolyzer cells (SOEC) will be installed in First Ammonia’s green ammonia plants around the world in the coming years. First Ammonia will initially purchase 500 megawatts (MW) of SOEC units, expandable up to 5 gigawatts (GW) over the lifetime of the agreement.

Topsoe said the agreement is “shaping up to be the largest in the world to date for any type of electrolyzer and will displace almost 5 billion cubic meters of natural gas and eliminate 13 million t/y of CO₂ emissions.

The first 500 MW of capacity will be installed in the world’s first commercial-scale green ammonia plants at sites in northern Germany and in the southwestern part of the US, which are expected to be fully operational in 2025. First Ammonia’s proposal for 5 GW of electrolyzer capacity will see the production of up to 5 million t/y of green ammonia.

“With their cutting edge SOEC electrolyzers and industry leading ammonia synthesis, we will develop facilities around the world to produce millions of tons of green ammonia from water and air,” said First Ammonia’s CEO Joel Moser. “Ammonia saved humanity from starvation a century ago as a replacement for depleted sources of fertilizers, in large part due to Topsoe’s excellence. Ammonia can save humanity once again as the workhorse of the hydrogen economy, replacing petrochemicals to decarbonize agriculture, transportation and power storage and generation.”

On Sep. 1, Topsoe’s board gave a final investment decision on the construction of an SOEC manufacturing plant in Herning, Denmark, which the technology company said would be the largest of its kind in the world.

Using existing global infrastructure, green ammonia can quickly and easily replace hydrocarbon-based fuels for a wide range of use cases, with ammonia-fueled ships already on order and ammonia power stations under development, the companies said.

First Ammonia also intends to build the first combustion engine to run entirely on ammonia through its affiliate First Ammonia Motors.

Author: Elaine Burridge, Freelance Journalist