In a sobering development for the green hydrogen and ammonia sectors, CWP Global has announced a pause on its large-scale initiative in Mauritania, shedding light on significant market hurdles.
At the heart of this setback is the fragmenting landscape of offtake commitments, lacking the momentum needed to sustain premium pricing for green ammonia compared to its traditional counterpart. Previously aimed to start between 2029 and 2030, the AMAN project was set to harness a formidable 18 GW of wind and 12 GW of solar energy to churn out approximately 1.7 million tonnes of green hydrogen or 10 million tonnes of green ammonia annually.
Mark Crandall, CEO of CWP Global, elucidates that the project’s impediment lies not within local regulatory constraints or renewable resources – Mauritania boasts optimal conditions – but rather in the nascent infrastructure for carbon pricing. The inadequacy of such frameworks, especially within the European Union, renders the cost differential for green ammonia untenable for potential buyers. Crandall’s assertion that “nobody out there who wants to buy green ammonia at a price that works for the producers” underscores a market reticent to embrace premium eco-friendly offerings without substantial economic incentives.
Further compounding the predicament is CWP’s comparable 600 MW venture in Angola, facing similar inertia. Leveraging surplus hydropower, this project too contends with the reluctance of buyers to shoulder the extra cost associated with ammonia alternatives. This highlights an industry-wide struggle, exacerbated by a dearth in regulatory architectures crucial to bridging these financial divides.
CWP’s experiences underline a broader issue confronting the green hydrogen domain: the urgent need for robust carbon pricing mechanisms and policy interventions designed to foster substantial market shifts. As Crandall aptly notes, the prolonged wait for viable offtake agreements is a “painful” limbo stalling sectoral advancement. The solution, he suggests, lies in aggressive carbon pricing strategies, capable of propelling greener alternatives into mainstream markets, thereby catalyzing a transition hitherto stalled by economic disincentives.
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