thyssenkrupp Uhde and IDESA Industrial Plants (IDIP) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to cooperate on developing and fabricating modules for green ammonia projects. The MoU was signed in Essen, Germany on March 23, 2023. The agreement will focus on the development of a joint project within the sector for the design, procurement, fabrication, and construction of modularized green ammonia plants.

The modularized solutions will be based on globally proven uhde ammonia technology, which has already been applied in over 130 large-scale chemical plants across the world. Under the agreement, the companies will work together to further develop modularized green ammonia plants suitable for integration with green H₂ production units. These modularized plants will drive forward green ammonia projects, which are vital for the success of the energy transition.

The cooperation between the two companies will combine IDIP’s extensive know-how in the fabrication of skids and modules with thyssenkrupp Uhde’s vast experience in the engineering and procurement of ammonia plants, leading to synergies, cost savings, improved fabrication efficiency, increased competitiveness and risk mitigation. At the same time, it will unlock capacity constraints, improve supply chains and enable thyssenkrupp Uhde to prepare for the increased demand that is to come in the wake of the enormous future investments in green ammonia markets that are required to secure successful energy transition.

Jesús Alonso, Chairman IDESA said, “The main focus of the current energy transition is to decarbonize the future by moving away from the use of fossil fuels. IDIP is committed to the concept of decarbonization, which implies reliance on new sustainable technologies and raw materials to reduce carbon emissions. In this context, green ammonia obtained from renewable energy sources is a key element in achieving this goal. Together with thyssenkrupp Uhde as a technology partner, we at IDIP will pursue our sustainable targets and work on modular plant technologies for the supply of green ammonia to decarbonize the energy and industry sector.”

Liege Robson, COO thyssenkrupp Uhde said, “We at thyssenkrupp Uhde are committed to the success of the green transformation on a large scale. This includes forging new partnerships and developing our technologies to make a decisive contribution to the decarbonization and CO₂ reduction process. The construction of numerous green ammonia plants is the key to a successful energy transition. By working together with IDIP on the modularization of these plants, we can decisively shorten the construction time of these plants and thus accelerate the global energy transition.”

Green ammonia is key for global CO₂-free energy chains H₂ is a critical part of the energy transition as it can provide energy for hard-to-electrify sectors such as long-haul transport, chemicals, iron and steel, refining, marine fuel, trucking and power generation. Ammonia is an ideal H₂ carrier as it is much easier to compress and transport than H₂ itself. Once shipped to its destination, the ammonia needs to be decomposed, or “cracked,” into H₂, before use in the energy value chain.

Energy produced from H₂ creates only water as a byproduct with zero emissions of CO₂. As the industry scales up globally, with strong demand from Germany and other countries in Europe, the accelerated expansion of green ammonia plants worldwide is becoming essential.

Leading technologies for emission reduction across the value chain thyssenkrupp Uhde has over 100 years of experience in the engineering and construction of chemical plants, having built more than 2,500 in total. Among the 130 ammonia plants built are some of the largest plants worldwide. These have frequently set new industry standards, including in their use of the uhde dual pressure technology - a low-risk and fast-track solution for large-capacity ammonia plants with reduced specific energy consumption. Alongside the fertilizer industry, thyssenkrupp Uhde is now also targeting the clean energy market with its clean ammonia technologies and rounds off the value chain by offering ammonia storage and ammonia cracking solutions needed for the transition towards clean energy.

With respect to the modularization of chemical plants, including prefabrication, preassembly and offsite fabrication, thyssenkrupp Uhde already has extensive expertise and experience in the downstream oil and gas, petrochemical, chemical, clean coal/gasification and alternate fuels industry sectors. In the past 20 years, thyssenkrupp Uhde has built multiple modularized plants, leading to accelerated project schedules, improved execution efficiency and increased safety on site.