New milestone unlocked as ADNOC delivers first certified commercial shipment of low-carbon ammonia

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has delivered what is said to be the world’s first certified bulk commercial shipment of low-carbon ammonia enabled by carbon capture and storage (CCS) to Mitsui & Co. in Japan.

The shipment, produced by Fertiglobe at its facility located in the Ruwais Industrial City, Abu Dhabi, will see the carbon dioxide (CO2) captured and permanently stored in the world’s first fully sequestered CO2 injection well in a carbonate saline aquifer. 

The low-carbon ammonia delivered to Mitsui will be used in clean-power generation in Japan.

The low-carbon certification process, from production to delivery, has been conducted by TÜV SÜD, an international certification agency.

According to ADNOC, this milestone was enabled by the company’s $23 billion allocation towards decarbonization, low-carbon solutions, and climate technologies, underscoring efforts to support customers to decarbonize their operations, particularly in hard-to-abate sectors.

The shipment to Japan builds on previous demonstration cargos delivered by ADNOC to customers in Asia and Germany as the company accelerates the development of global low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia value chains.

Musabbeh Al Kaabi, ADNOC Executive Director for Low Carbon Solutions and International Growth, said: “The delivery of the world’s first certified bulk commercial shipment of CCS-enabled low-carbon ammonia to Mitsui in Japan is testament to ADNOC’s commitment to accelerating the development of lower-carbon fuels to support a just, orderly and equitable energy transition.

“The UAE and Japan enjoy a longstanding strategic energy relationship and we are building on this partnership to enable a lower-carbon future. Hydrogen and its carrier fuels such as ammonia, will play a critical role in decarbonizing hard-to-abate industrial sectors and we will continue to work with our customers to advance these solutions and help them reduce their emissions.” 

To remind, ADNOC has set a target to capture 5% of the global low-carbon hydrogen market by 2030 in support of the UAE’s National Hydrogen Strategy.

Junji Fukuoka, Managing Officer of Mitsui, commented: “We have worked together with ADNOC, METI and stakeholders in Japan to deliver this first bulk commercial shipment of CCS-based low-carbon ammonia. Mitsui has continued to enhance our relationship with ADNOC since we first began our participation in ADNOC LNG in 1973, and recently we have joined TA’ZIZ low-carbon ammonia project. Energy solutions remain a strategic focus for Mitsui, thus, we are excited to commence this large-scale clean hydrogen and ammonia value chain with ADNOC in light of global climate action.” 

As of this year, ADNOC is working on the design of a facility in Abu Dhabi that will produce up to 360,000 tonnes of low-carbon hydrogen per year by capturing up to 3 million tonnes of CO2.

In addition, the company, together with its partners, TA’ZIZ, Fertiglobe, G.S. Energy Corporation, and Mitsui, is developing a 1 million tonnes per year (mtpa) low-carbon ammonia facility at the TA’ZIZ Industrial Chemicals Zone.