Yara, Sumitomo collaborate on ammonia; Progress with Polaris & Barents Blue projects

Yara International Asa (a leading global ammonia player) and Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd. (a leading Japanese chemical company) have signed an MoU for the potential supply of clean ammonia to Sumitomo Chemical for its use in chemicals production.

The collaboration would speed up Japan’s green energy transition and build upon the growing momentum associated with clean ammonia. Japan aims to ramp up its ammonia fuel demand to 3 million tonnes/year by 2030 and 30 million tonnes/year by 2050 to help cut CO2 emissions and reach carbon neutrality.

This innovative partnership with Yara based around clean ammonia would contribute considerably towards realising Sumitomo Chemical’s goal. The term clean ammonia can be referred to both blue ammonia and green ammonia.

This year, this is the fourth MoU of Yara on clean ammonia collaboration with key Japanese partners, including Jera, Kyushu Electric Power, and Idemitsu Kosan.

Meanwhile, Horisont Energi, Equinor and Vår Energi have agreed to collaborate on developing the carbon transportation and storage project Polaris, off the coast of Northern Norway. As part of the agreement, Equinor will be the project’s operator. Horisont Energi, Equinor and Vår Energi are collaborating on developing the Polaris carbon storage, which is expected to have a total carbon storage capacity of over 100 million tonnes, equivalent to twice Norway’s annual greenhouse gas emissions.

The offshore carbon storage reservoir is a key part of the planned Barents Blue project in Finnmark, Europe’s first world-scale carbon-neutral ammonia production plant. Barents Blue is planned to have a production capacity of 3k tonnes/day of ammonia and will convert natural gas from the Barents South region to carbon-neutral blue ammonia in its first phase. An investment decision for Polaris and the Barents Blue project is expected by the end of 2022.