Japanese power firm seeks ammonia partner

Abstract

Jera, a utility that generates 30% of Japan’s electricity, has selected two finalists—the nitrogen fertilizer firms CF Industries and Yara International—for a large contract to supply clean ammonia fuel to a power plant in Japan. A final deal could lead to a new ammonia project on the US Gulf Coast. Jera plans to convert 20% of the fuel at Japan’s Hekinan Thermal Power Plant Unit 4 from coal to clean ammonia such as blue ammonia, which is made by reforming natural gas and then capturing and storing carbon dioxide emissions. The company had been testing cofiring ammonia and coal at the site since 2021 and decided last year to move forward with large-scale ammonia use. In February 2022, Jera solicited contracts for the 500,000 metric tons (t) per year of ammonia that it would need for the program beginning in 2027. The utility stipulated that it should have the opportunity