Foundations laid for ammonia to hydrogen project
The foundations have been laid at a green ammonia to hydrogen demonstrator site at Tyseley Energy Park (TEP), developed by the Ammogen Consortium.
The Consortium, a multi-disciplinary and multi-national group, gathered at TEP to mark the construction milestone for the facility which, once commissioned, will deliver 200kg per day of transport-grade hydrogen to the hydrogen refuelling station at the park.
Funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), the £6.7m project is expected to be the world’s largest and most efficient ammonia to hydrogen conversion unit of its kind, it has been claimed.
The facility will use technology developed by H2SITE that derives hydrogen from ammonia through a process called ‘cracking’. Cracking uses a high temperature furnace to separate ammonia into hydrogen and nitrogen, after which the hydrogen is filtered and purified for use as fuel.
Going forward, project partners Gemserv, Equans, H2Site, Tyseley Energy Park, Yara and the University of Birmingham estimate that more than 97,000 jobs and £16bn could be delivered in the UK through early investment in cracking technologies that enable the use of ammonia as a hydrogen carrier. The consortium is actively pursuing opportunities for investment in order to roll out further sites in the UK, it said.
Speaking about this construction milestone, Alex Goody, Chief Executive of consortium lead Gemserv said: “Hydrogen is a crucial energy vector in the mission to net zero, and a major market challenge in the ability to transport hydrogen to where it’s needed. Ammonia could be that carrier to unlock green hydrogen and production globally.”
James Graham, Divisional CEO for EQUANS UK & Ireland, added: “The laying of the foundations marks an important step as we move into the construction phase of this project. It is also symbolic as this innovative project is laying the foundations for the wider hydrogen economy and the path towards a Green Industrial Revolution.”
Professor Martin Freer, Director of the University of Birmingham’s Energy Institute said: “It has been a pleasure to celebrate this construction milestone today and we look forward to completing the commission of this world-leading facility later this year.”
