ET Highlights: Ammonia Producers Lead Blue Hydrogen, US States Sue Over Hydrogen Hubs, Japan’s NEDO Backs Kawasaki’s Liquid Hydrogen Projects

Energy Transition Highlights:

Our editors and analysts bring together the biggest stories in the industry this week, from renewables to storage to carbon prices.

Ammonia Producers Take Lead On Global Blue Hydrogen Development

Once confined to a handful of pilot projects, blue hydrogen capacity is growing steadily as early-mover companies bring their first projects online. As of December 2025, global operating capacity had reached 1.7 million metric tons per year, a 24% increase in six months, according to S&P Global Energy Horizons.

The activity is driven by a combination of US tax credits for carbon capture, Asian import subsidies for clean fuel, European emissions regulations and other climate incentives.

>> In Other News: Hyundai Pitches Hydrogen Transport Tied To Canada Submarine Bid

"Companies with an active presence in key offtake markets like nitrogenous chemicals have had more success in securing offtake and reaching [a final investment decision] due to a deep understanding of the dynamics and drivers in those markets," said Brian Murphy, Horizons' lead researcher of hydrogen and low-carbon gases in the Americas.

In the US, fertilizer producer CF Industries Holdings in July 2025 commissioned its first major blue ammonia project, in Louisiana, while securing offtake deals with Japanese companies JERA and Mitsui & Co. for an even larger development.

The UK has among the most advanced projects, with Essar Group-owned EET Hydrogen set to make a final investment decision on its CCS-enabled, 78,000-mt/y production facility at the Stanlow refinery in the first half of 2026.

In Asia-Pacific, where most major economies import natural gas, the pipeline for blue hydrogen production is modest. Kawasaki Heavy Industries, the first to demonstrate transport of low-carbon hydrogen from the Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain project in Australia, plans to begin commercial liquid hydrogen transport by 2030.

Benchmark Of The Week

$3.18/kg

Platts assessed India renewable hydrogen term contract on Feb. 19, down 10.92% from Dec. 11, when the assessment was launched.

California, Washington and 11 other US states sued the Trump administration Feb. 18 over the termination of billions of dollars in clean energy grants, alleging the move violated the US Constitution's separation of powers doctrine. Thirteen attorneys general filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, challenging the US Department of Energy's termination of $7.56 billion in awards last year. The plaintiffs argued the funding cuts are unconstitutional because Congress had specifically authorized the programs.

Engineering firms are deploying artificial intelligence tools to accelerate energy infrastructure project delivery, cutting asset due diligence timelines from six months to three weeks, while digital twin technology is emerging as critical for repurposing gas pipelines and terminals for hydrogen transport. AI is transforming how energy projects are planned and executed, with companies using the technology to compress complex engineering simulations from weeks to 24 hours and streamline supplier selection processes. The technology is proving particularly valuable for assessing how existing LNG and gas infrastructure can be repurposed for hydrogen transport.

Japan's New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization has adopted a new research theme focused on developing hydrogen fuel supply infrastructure for ships, selecting Kawasaki Heavy Industries' liquefied hydrogen projects under the Green Innovation Fund, the agency said. It selected KHI's research and development on hydrogen-fueled ships and automated liquid hydrogen bunkering technology, it said, adding the total support will be about Yen 1.54 billion ($9.92 million) from fiscal year 2025-26 (April-March) to FY 2030-31.

NTPC Green Energy Ltd. is building infrastructure at India's Pudimadaka Hydrogen Hub in Andhra Pradesh ahead of securing offtake agreements, with the first plant expected to start operations by early 2029, a senior company executive told Platts, part of S&P Global Energy. The company has published a Request for Proposal to allocate 60 acres within the hub to two developers for renewable hydrogen-based ammonia and methanol production, with the company supplying power, water, CO2 and other utilities, DMR Panda, executive director for hydrogen at NTPC, said in an interview.