Ammonia plant hybridization in Australia: from Grey to Green

Casale opens a new road in the revamping  Ammonia plants. After hundreds of revamps with the aim of increasing capacity and reducing emissions, the time has come for the zero-emission "from Grey to Green" conversion. Casale will deliver know-how and basic engineering design to convert Incitec Pivot Limited’s (IPL) ammonia plant at Gibson Island (Queensland, Australia) from natural gas to renewable hydrogen as raw material. IPL is partnering with Fortescue Future Industries (FFI) on the project, and it is currently proposed that FFI would construct an on-site water electrolysis plant and develop and operate the hydrogen manufacturing facility, with IPL operating the ammonia manufacturing facility. The new water electrolysis facility would produce up to 50,000 tonnes of renewable hydrogen per year and be a complete replacement of Gibson Island’s current natural gas feedstock. This renewable hydrogen would then be converted into more than 300,000 tonnes of green ammonia for Australian and export markets. The project has been found to be technically feasible and IPL and FFI are currently conducting a Front End Engineering Design (FEED) study which will inform a potential Final Investment Decision. The project has the potential to transition Gibson Island to a renewable future and the plant could become Australia’s first existing facility capable of producing 100% emission-free ammonia.

“We are grateful for the trust placed on us by our long-standing client IPL and proud to provide our technology and know-how to contribute to a greener future for Australia, accelerating the decarbonisation of the industry, as well as demonstrating that an existing “grey” facility can be conveniently converted to green, utilizing zero-emission resources, while safeguarding jobs locally. Casale has always been a pioneer in implementing cutting-edge technologies into existing plants, maximizing the performance of repurposed equipment: this project can set the benchmark for all the ammonia plants in the world that have the ambition to turn green,” stated Mr. Federico Zardi, CEO of Casale.