Interview with Amogy CEO: We’re attracting interest from some of world’s largest maritime companies

Amogy Inc., a Brooklyn-based developer of energy-dense ammonia power solutions, is making waves in the maritime industry with its ammonia-to-power system which has a massive potential to decarbonize shipping operations.

The company just revealed its project which involves retrofitting a 1957-built tugboat that uses diesel generators and electric motors, with its zero-emission ammonia-to-power system.

Amogy’s core technology is a compact chemical reactor that cracks ammonia into hydrogen. The hydrogen is then sent immediately into a fuel cell, forgoing the need for intermediate hydrogen storage.

The technology is targeting the hard-to-abate sectors and has sparked enormous interest from the shipping community. The tugboat demonstration project is being pursued as part of Amogy’s desire to mature the system and scale it up to transfer it to ships.

“We are scaling up our technology three times from the version used in the semi-truck demonstration earlier in the year – the team is working hard to make sure the technology is working smoothly and meeting all the safety requirements,” Seonghoon Woo, Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder of Amogy, told Offshore Energy.

The tugboat will be taking an initial voyage in an inland waterway in New York later this year as Amogy vows to bring the first ammonia-powered ship to life. 

“What we’re most excited about is the fact that we’re having the maiden voyage of the first ammonia-powered tugboat. Our goal is to see that the boat runs smoothly and we’ll take it one step at a time in making improvements as necessary.”

Amogy has set a target for full commercialization of its technology by 2024 and broader adoption of ammonia in the maritime industry. However, given the ambitious time scale the company is focused on making sure the technology is reliable and meets all safety requirements before it’s ready for commercialization.

“Our primary focus right now is the successful launch of the vessel later this year. We have learned much in the two years since the company was founded about ammonia-to-power systems and the technology involved. We will learn even more from this latest project. As nations grapple with both energy security needs and the desire to decarbonize, our technology solution can achieve both,” Woo said.

“With the knowledge we’re gaining, we are confident that we can continue to scale the technology for more and more uses and reach commercialization later next year. We’re excited about the interest we’re receiving from some of the largest maritime companies in the world.”

Commenting on the technological challenges ahead that need to be overcome to scale up the use of ammonia as fuel for shipping, Woo said the interest was growing in conjunction with greater awareness about ammonia.

“We are also doing our best to educate policymakers about ammonia, that it is a safe and clean option for the maritime industry. So far, the maritime industry has experience handling ammonia as a fertilizer, but this is its first introduction as a fuel. The more we educate ammonia as a power source, the more intrigue and acceptance we get. This will help us to leverage the existing ammonia infrastructure already in place when we are ready for commercialization,” Amogy’s CEO told Offshore Energy.

“We’re lucky to have great partners, and we’re really excited about the momentum ammonia is getting as a clean energy source. In terms of safety, most of the maritime/commercial industry has been shipping ammonia for a number of decades as fertilizer, and are well handled to dealing with ammonia from that perspective. Ammonia, unlike hydrogen, already has existing infrastructure, regulations, and widespread acceptance globally.”

In the United States, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 is an example of how the federal government has a big role to play in affecting the use of renewable energy, Woo explained, talking about how governments and regulatory bodies can help speed-up the adoption of ammonia.

Beyond providing billions of dollars in incentives for businesses to use renewable energy, the act shows how government regulation can positively impact the infrastructure required for society as a whole to switch to renewable energy, Woo noted, voicing hope to see similar measures passed for ammonia in the future.

That being said, there is a knowledge gap with policymakers on the subject of ammonia and its potential as an energy source and hydrogen carrier, he cautioned.

“We’re actively engaged in Washington, DC, and other capitals around the world to showcase our experiences with ammonia and how it can be a solution for nations concerned about energy security and decarbonizing their economy,” Woo noted.

“It looks like several states might pass regulations requiring 100% clean energy by 2040 which is great as an incentive for ammonia and other sources of clean energy.”

As explained, most of the regulatory attention in the U.S. is focused on hydrogen at the moment. However, as soon as you look into hydrogen, you realize it has a very high storage and transportation cost as it usually has to be kept at low temperatures in liquid hydrogen form.

“Ammonia is a more affordable way of storing hydrogen, as it is more energy dense and cheaper to store – we are just lacking the awareness of ammonia as a solution at this point and getting governments and regulatory bodies on board will be a crucial step,” Woo added.

Commenting on how has the maritime market and policy landscape changed since Amogy launched operations in 2020 with regard to decarbonization efforts and adoption of ammonia as part of the decarbonization puzzle, Woo said that the company has seen enormous interest, particularly in Europe and Southeast Asia in ammonia. 

“Policymakers and industry have come to the conclusion that ammonia will play a critical role in decarbonizing the maritime industry. We expect that to continue and are actively engaged with several governments and companies,” he added.

Amogy is expanding its footprint in Norway, having opened its headquarters in Stavanger, Norway and appointed Christian Berg as managing director of Amogy Norway.

Earlier this year, Amogy signed a letter of intent and a lease with Sustainable Energy Catapult Center to kick-start testing operations for its 200kW ammonia-to-power platform in Norway.

The Sustainable Energy Catapult Centre is one of five centers established by the Norwegian government to accelerate innovation and make nascent technologies commercially viable.

“Given the European Union as a whole and several individual countries focusing on energy security and decarbonization, it made sense for us to open an operation there,” Woo said.

“The partnership has been very valuable to us as they already performed tests on other ammonia projects – and provided us with a testing ground for the powerpack we’re using in the tugboat. We’ll continue to expand our presence in Europe and make use of the facility for our future projects.” 

“Amogy is hoping the launch of the first ammonia-powered ship will lead to ammonia rapidly becoming a major part of how we power the zero-carbon maritime industry of the future. When you think about our technology solution, the sky’s the limit in terms of applications. While maritime is our focus for now, stationary power, large commercial off-road vehicles, and other large-scale applications are easily within reach.”

“We have a lot of exciting news that will take place over the course of the year. “

Finally, speaking about what is the most exciting aspect of the potential of ammonia to decarbonize the shipping industry, and how it fits into the broader transition to a low-carbon economy, Woo said: 

“We’re at a crossroads globally in terms of the desire by both the public and private sectors wanting to have clean, secure, and reliable energy sources. This combined with changes in the regulatory and public policy frameworks in many countries over the last few years means this is the right time for our technology.“

“For the maritime industry, it’s scrambling to replace dirty diesel fuel with cleaner alternatives. International shipping accounted for about three percent of global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions — a percentage that’s expected to climb as more vessels deliver more goods and as other sectors reduce their share of global emissions. Ammonia is predicted to become the leading fuel source for the world’s giant cargo ships by 2050 and Amogy’s technology is the first important step to that future becoming a reality.” 

“Beyond the shipping industry, we believe in the potential of ammonia to revolutionize the wider transportation industry, and also in other industrial applications.”