Yara International has purchased a 24 MW PEM electrolyser from ITM Power and Linde Engineering, which will be the world’s largest.
The electrolyser will be installed at a Yara facility in Herya, outside of Porsgrunn. The site produces 3 million tons of fertiliser per year, making it Norway’s largest industrial site.
SMR currently provides the hydrogen required for ammonia production (steam methane reforming). Yara plans to begin replacing this grey hydrogen with clean green hydrogen produced through electrolysis and renewable energy.
As Yara embarks on its decarbonisation journey and sets an example for the wider ammonia industry, the 24MW system will account for approximately 5% of the plant’s consumption and will serve as a feasibility study for future upscaling.
The electrolysis plant will use renewable energy to generate enough hydrogen to produce 20,500 tonnes of ammonia per year, which can be converted into 60,000 to 80,000 tonnes of green fertilizer.
The plant’s CO2 emissions will be reduced by about 41,000 tonnes as a result of this. In mid-2023, the site is expected to deliver its first green ammonia-based products.
ITM Power’s CEO, Dr. Graham Cooley, said: “Decarbonization of industry is essential for countries to meet their commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The production of ammonia for fertilizers is the largest use of hydrogen produced from hydrocarbons today. This practice must be curtailed and eventually phased out.”
In Q4 2022, we’ll be able to ship the electrolyser equipment.
