Port of Açu Operações (Port of Açu) and YamnaCo have signed a land reservation agreement in the new hub for low-carbon hydrogen and its derivatives in the port industrial complex of Port of Açu in the northeast of Rio de Janeiro State to develop a green ammonia project.
The port is reserving 2m sqm for green hydrogen projects and the new area adds to the 1m sqm already licensed. The deal opens up the prospect of a green hydrogen and ammonia corridor linking Brazil with Belgium.
Yamna, targeting a production capacity of up to one million tonnes per year (mtpa), expects to reach the final investment decision by 2027 and start producing its first green molecules in 2030.
Privately owned by Prumo Logística and Port of Antwerp-Bruges International, Port of Açu is one of Brazil’s major oil and gas export facilities handling 40% of the country’s oil exports.
The port is also active in the mining and port logistics sector. Currently, it is advancing its energy transition by developing an integrated platform for the low-carbon economy.
The project is the first by Yamna in Brazil and aligns with the company’s strategy of developing large-scale export green ammonia projects in the world’s most attractive locations.
Brazil, with its immense renewable energy capacity and strategic location for export, offers a significant opportunity to scale green ammonia production to meet growing global demand.
Port of Açu, as a leading industrial port and energy hub, provides the ideal infrastructure and logistics for expanding green ammonia.
Abdelaziz Yatribi, Yamna CEO, was confident the strong cooperation will continue throughout the next phases of the project, paving the way toward a successful FID, and thanked Port of Antwerp-Bruges International for its contribution.
Kristof Waterschoot, CEO Port of Antwerp-Bruges International, said Açu will serve as a flagship project for setting up the green corridor, producing and exporting green molecules from Brazil to Belgium.
Prumo and Norwegian company Fuella signed the first area reservation contract for the newly licensed low-carbon hydrogen and derivatives hub at the port complex last August.
Brazil is the largest gas market in South America, according to gasworld intelligence, recording 1.3% annual growth in 2023. It operates 239 production facilities with 72 in the hydrogen sector.
