Largest ammonia producer CF Industries announces new plant
One of the largest ammonia producers in the world is working to make its products more sustainable, and it will use a new production facility in the U.S.
Mitsui & Co., Ltd., one of the leading ammonia marketers in the world, and CF Industries, the world’s largest producer of ammonia, today announced their intention to jointly develop a greenfield ammonia production facility in the United States.
Workers at CF Industries, the world's largest ammonia producer.—CF industries photo
Ammonia isn't the first thing consumers think of as needing to be "greener", after all, it is primarily used as a cleaning chemical. However, the project details major strides in some surprising areas.
The new facility will reportedly "produce blue ammonia by leveraging carbon capture and sequestration processes to reduce carbon emissions by more than 60% compared to conventional ammonia." The companies claim that demand for blue ammonia is expected to grow significantly as a decarbonized energy source, both for its hydrogen content and as a fuel itself.
Mitsui and CF Industries say they've taken the following steps to advance the project:
The parties have secured an rights to a site in the U.S. Gulf Coast region suitable to construct an export-oriented blue ammonia production facility.
The parties are concluding selection of a technology provider for the blue ammonia production capacity.
CF Industries will have 52% and Mitsui will have 48% ownership of the intended joint venture in which the parties will have proportional capital investment and economic returns.
Mitsui will lead the marketing and distribution for the blue ammonia into Asia.
CF Industries will be responsible for plant operations and maintenance.