Dyno Nobel, a business of Incitec Pivot Limited, has partnered with Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) with support by ANT Energy Solutions to undertake a feasibility study into creating the world's largest green hydrogen production facility.
To be built in Moranbah, Queensland, the facility would utilise green hydrogen to produce green ammonia.
ANT Energy Solutions is a leader in green hydrogen based solutions while Dyno Nobel is an expert in commercial explosives and is looking to convert its ammonia plants to using wind and solar to produce hydrogen.
ARENA has made available $980,000 in funding to conduct the feasibility study into building a renewable ammonia facility at its existing Moranbah ammonia plant.
The project aligns with ARENA’s new investment priorities of accelerating hydrogen in Australia and helping industry reduce emissions, which are geared towards future proofing Australia's energy system.
If feasible, the proposed green ammonia facility would include a 160 MW electrolyser and 210 MW solar farm co-located at Moranbah
Dyno Nobel’s facility operates a modern ammonia plant employing up to 110 people and manufactures more than 360,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate annually for supply to mining customers. The company uses natural gas as its feedstock to make hydrogen for ammonia.
The $2.7 million feasibility study will look at the potential to use renewable hydrogen produced via electrolysis to increase ammonia production to meet increased demand in the region for ammonium nitrate.
According to Bloomberg, over 50 per cent of hydrogen production is used for ammonia.
ARENA CEO, Darren Miller, said the study is a step towards decarbonising the ammonia sector.
“Given ammonia production is an energy-intensive industry that accounts for 1 per cent of global emissions, this project could also help the ammonia industry to reduce its emissions by switching to renewable hydrogen,” Miller said.