Yara Pilbara mulls ammonia production from green hydrogen

Yara Pilbara Fertilisers which controls 20 per cent of the global ammonium trade is considering switching feedstock for its Burrup Peninsula production facility in in Western Australia from natural gas to green hydrogen.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency has published details of Yara’s $3.8 million feasibility study into production and export of renewable hydrogen and ammonia using 100MW of solar PV power and a 66MW electrolyser.

ARENA is supporting the study with a grant of $995,000 .

Yara’s Burrup Peninsula facility produces 840,000MT of ammonia annually by using natural gas as a feedstock for its steam methane reforming process, which produces fossil-fuel based hydrogen.

The hydrogen is then used to feed an ammonia synthesis process to produce ammonia which is exported from the nearby Dampier Poret.

Utilising green hydrogen will massively reduce emissions produced by the facility. Every 1kg of renewable hydrogen makes 5.6kg of ammonia, offsetting more than 5.5kg of carbon dioxide production.

The feasibility study will be conducted in partnership with Engie Services Australia.

Picture: Yarra Pilbara Fertilisers

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