Yara has said the potential German terminal modifications could see it handling up to three million tonnes of ammonia, which it added would equate to around 530,000 tonnes of hydrogen.

It comes as the company has revealed plans to produce clean ammonia globally. Notably, ENGIE took the final investment decision (FID) to develop an industrial-scale renewable hydrogen project in Australia to supply a Yara ammonia plant.

Read more: ENGIE takes FID for Australian hydrogen plant which will supply Yara’s clean ammonia generation

Additionally, Yara Clean Ammonia joined Hystar’s HyPilot project which will see the first in-field test of Hystar’s 1MW electrolyser to see how the technology could be used in future production of green ammonia.

Read more: Yara Clean Ammonia joins Hystar’s HyPilot project in Norway

Yara has said it operates the largest ammonia storage in Germany, with deep sea terminals in Brunsbüttel and Rostock, which could be critical as it looks to ramp-up its clean ammonia ambitions in the country.

“Yara Deutschland and Yara Clean Ammonia are excited to be working closely with the German Government on a local and federal level and with German business partners to enable the German hydrogen economy through its ammonia infrastructure and almost 100 years of operational experience,” said Magnus Ankarstrand, President of Yara Clean Ammonia.

Yves Bauwens, Plant Manager in Brunsbüttel at Yara, commented, “By summer 2023 our export terminal in Brunsbüttel will be modified to import as well. In addition, the terminal in Rostock can increase the imported volumes. In total Yara would be able to deliver three million tonnes of clean ammonia if demand is there. With additional tank capacity we can expand our import capacity much further.”

Yara’s intentions were announced in line with a new agreement between Germany and Norway to strengthen their partnership on hydrogen, with plans of seeing large-scale of hydrogen from Norway to Germany by 2030.

Read more: Germany and Norway strengthen ties, plans for large-scale hydrogen pipeline

Ammonia is made up of nitrogen and hydrogen and is viewed as far easier to handle than pure hydrogen, offering a potential route to accelerate hydrogen exporting. In a gasworld webinar last September (2022), Joel Moser, CEO of First Ammonia said the carrier could be the ‘workhorse of the hydrogen economy.’

Read more: Ammonia can be the ‘workhorse of the hydrogen economy’, a gasworld webinar hears