Yara International has officially opened its ammonia import terminal in Brunsbüttel, Germany.
Located on the North Sea and Kiel Canal, it is positioned as an ideal hub for enabling the hydrogen economy in Europe’s largest economy.
With the new terminal, Yara has the infrastructure to enable imports of up to three million tonnes of low-emission ammonia to Europe annually.
The terminal is part of Yara’s strategy to strengthen its core nitrogen business while generating value-accretive growth in a low-carbon future.
Hans Olav Raen, CEO Yara Clean Ammonia, said as the world’s largest shipper and distributer of ammonia, Yara Clean Ammonia is in a pole position to secure low-emission ammonia supply to Germany, at competitive prices.
He said, “With its leading global ammonia position, Yara can help kick-start the German hydrogen economy, laying the ground for a net zero future.”
Up to 3 million tonnes of low-CO2 ammonia can be imported annually via the terminal in Brunsbüttel. This would correspond to 530,000 tonnes of hydrogen or around 5% of the total European hydrogen target for 2030. The Brunsbüttel plant currently has an annual production capacity of 800,000 tonnes of ammonia, 770,000 tonnes of urea and 1.8 million tonnes of AdBlue.
Sven Kohnke, plant manager Yara Brunsbüttel, said, “For 50 years, we have been manufacturing products of fundamental importance to Germany and Europe here at the Brunsbüttel site. Today’s inauguration represents a new milestone and an important step towards a low-carbon future.”
The ammonia can be delivered directly from the terminal to the point of use, where it could be cracked to low-emission hydrogen.
Yara Sela at the import terminal
German industry competitiveness, particularly in steel and chemicals, can only be maintained through decarbonisation and cracking low-emission ammonia to hydrogen, for which significant quantities of ammonia will be needed.
Low-emission ammonia is produced by electrolysis using renewable electricity or using carbon capture and storage (CCS). Low-emission ammonia has key advantages that makes it attractive as a decarbonisation product in hard-to-abate sectors.
This includes the traditional ammonia use such as fertilisers but also new applications such as a low-emission shipping fuel, emission cuts for refineries, power generation, and as a hydrogen carrier.
Demand for low-emission ammonia in Germany is expected to increase significantly. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection estimates that up to 70% of future national ammonia requirements will have to be imported by 2030. Afterwards, volumes will be even higher.
In June, Yara officially opened its renewable hydrogen pilot plant in Norway, the largest of its kind in Europe. However Equinor recently cancelled a hydrogen pipeline project linking Norway with Germany due to financial constraints.
