The UK should develop a standard for low-carbon ammonia by 2027, according to a report from the UK Ammonia Alliance – a newly formed coalition of companies from across the ammonia value chain.
The standard should be modelled on the low carbon hydrogen standard and aligned with international certification schemes, the report states.
It made seven other recommendations, including recognising the role of low-carbon ammonia in the future economy, committing to producing an ammonia white paper by 2026 and adopting a low-carbon ammonia production target.
Alongside actions to make the UK a global trading hub, the paper said the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero should expand the hydrogen to power business model to include ammonia-to-power projects, review safety regulations that consider ammonia as a fuel, industrial chemical and feedstock, and introduce a streamlined permitting process.
Another key recommendation is extending suitable hydrogen funding mechanisms to incentivise the use of hydrogen carriers and derivatives, and low-carbon ammonia in particular, as a flexible energy store and reliable power source.
Much of the ammonia to be produced from current projects is intended for export, predominately to Europe and Asia.
Souce: UK Ammonia Alliance
Alongside its hydrogen carrying attributes, ammonia is vital to fertilisers, industrial chemicals, refrigerants, plastics, dyes, synthetic fibres, explosives and pharmaceuticals.
With over 240 million tonnes of ammonia produced each year, demand is projected to rise 40% by 2050, according to the International Energy Agency.