ADNOC, a responsible provider of reliable, lower-carbon intensity energy, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with thyssenkrupp Uhde, a Germany-based subsidiary of thyssenkrupp Group that specializes in chemical engineering, to explore a long-term partnership to create new markets for hydrogen and promote global clean energy value chains.

Signed at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), the agreement will focus on the development of projects for large-scale ammonia cracking, which is used to extract hydrogen from ammonia after transportation. Ammonia is a carrier of hydrogen and it is much easier to compress and transport. When shipped, after arriving at its destination, the ammonia needs to be decomposed, or “cracked,” into hydrogen, before use in the energy value chain.

Under the agreement, the companies will work together to develop large-scale ammonia cracking plants with thyssenkrupp technology. The agreement will also lead to the exploration of opportunities in the clean energy value chain for the supply and shipment of low-carbon or green ammonia from the UAE to large-scale ammonia cracking facilities globally.

The ammonia cracking process is based on globally proven uhde® reformer technology, which is applied in more than130 large-scale chemical plants around the world.

ADNOC has already invested in low-carbon ammonia, where the carbon dioxide (CO₂) emitted during production is captured and stored underground. In May 2021, the company announced a 1-MMtpy low-carbon ammonia production facility at the TA'ZIZ industrial ecosystem and chemicals hub. The company has significantly expanded its strategic energy partnerships across the hydrogen value chain and shipped demonstration cargoes of low-carbon ammonia to customers in Germany and Asia to test its application.

ADNOC is also investing in green hydrogen—and renewable energy—through Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar), a clean-energy powerhouse that will place the UAE at the forefront of the energy transition. Through this investment, ADNOC aims to become a world leader in green hydrogen.