Australian largest LNG firm Woodside has teamed up with Japan’s IHI Corporation and Marubeni to work on exporting ammonia produced from green hydrogen.
The trio has signed a heads of agreement to study the production and export of green ammonia produced from renewable hydropower in the Australian state of Tasmania, Woodside said on Thursday.
Initially, Woodside says it plans to produce green ammonia at a small-scale hydrogen electrolysis plant.
Woodside is exploring options for production in the Bell Bay region in northeast Tasmania.
The LNG firm said it could eventually boost the capacity of the proposed plan up to 250 MW to produce green hydrogen as feedstock for green ammonia exports.
“The initial phase of the partners’ studies will focus on deepening their understanding of Japanese and Asian ammonia markets, with technical and commercial evaluations underway,” Woodside said.
Japan is stepping up its efforts to capture opportunities for green hydrogen and ammonia in order to deliver its target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Green ammonia can help decarbonise coal-fired power production, among other applications.
The partners aim to continue building on the green ammonia supply chain between Australia and Japan, Woodside said.
Woodside has earlier this year signed a memorandum of understanding with Tasmania to develop hydrogen projects in the island state.
The firm is working on the proposed H2TAS project, a renewable hydrogen production facility at Bell Bay.
It is targeting hydrogen production at H2TAS in the first half of 2023.
