Yara Drives Hydrogen Economy With New Ammonia Import Terminal

Today, Yara International officially opened its new ammonia import terminal in Brunsbüttel, Germany. Brunsbüttel is located on the North Sea and Kiel Canal, making it an ideal hub for enabling the hydrogen economy in Germany. With the new terminal, Yara has the infrastructure to enable imports of up to three million tonnes of low-emission ammonia to Europe annually.

Brunsbüttel plant

Brunsbüttel plant and port

Brunsbüttel NH3 import terminal

Brunsbüttel NH3 import terminal infrastructure

Yara Sela with jetty

Yara Sela

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Yara, the world's leading crop nutrition company, today inaugurates its new ammonia import terminal in Brunsbüttel in the presence of representatives from German and Norwegian authorities. The terminal is part of Yara's strategy to strengthen its core nitrogen business while generating value-accretive growth in a low-carbon future.

"As the world’s largest shipper and distributer of ammonia, Yara Clean Ammonia is in a pole position to secure low-emission ammonia supply to Germany, at competitive prices," said Hans Olav Raen, CEO of Yara Clean Ammonia. With its leading global ammonia position, Yara can help kick-start the German hydrogen economy, laying the ground for a net zero future. Up to 3 million tonnes of low-CO2 ammonia can be imported annually via the terminal in Brunsbüttel, which would correspond to 530,000 tonnes of hydrogen or around 5% of the total European hydrogen target for 2030.

With its significant import capacity, Yara’s new terminal in Brunsbüttel will play an important role in enabling the German hydrogen strategy and contribute to the country’s energy transition. Uniquely located on the North Sea and the Kiel Canal, Brunsbüttel is ideally placed to become a central hub, not only for Germany, but also for Europe's hydrogen economy.

"For 50 years, we have been manufacturing products of fundamental importance to Germany and Europe here at the Brunsbüttel site," stated Sven Kohnke, Plant Manager at Yara Brunsbüttel. "Today's inauguration represents a new milestone and an important step towards a low-carbon future."

The ammonia can be delivered directly from the terminal to the point of use, where it could be cracked to low-emission hydrogen. The competitiveness of German industry, particularly steel and chemicals, can only be maintained through decarbonization, which can be achieved through cracking low-emission ammonia to hydrogen.

Low-emission ammonia is produced by electrolysis using renewable electricity or by using carbon capture and storage (CCS). This makes it attractive as a decarbonization product in hard-to-abate sectors, including traditional ammonia uses such as fertilizers and new applications like low-emission shipping fuel, emission cuts for refineries, and power generation.

Demand for low-emission ammonia in Germany is expected to increase significantly in the coming years. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection estimates that up to 70% of future national ammonia requirements will have to be imported by 2030.

The energy partnership between Germany and Norway plays a key role. In June, Yara officially opened its renewable hydrogen pilot plant in Norway, which is the largest of its kind in Europe and represents an important steppingstone towards a low-carbon future. [See also: Yara opens renewable hydrogen plant: “A major milestone” | Yara International]

About Yara

Yara's mission is to responsibly feed the world and protect the planet. We pursue a strategy of sustainable value growth by reducing emissions from crop nutrition production and developing low-emission energy solutions. Yara’s ambition is focused on growing a nature-positive food future that creates value for our customers, shareholders, and society at large while delivering a more sustainable food value chain.

To drive the green shift in fertilizer production, shipping, and other energy-intensive industries, Yara will produce ammonia with significantly lower emissions. We provide digital tools for precision farming and work closely with partners across the food value chain to promote more efficient and sustainable solutions.

As the world’s largest ammonia provider, Yara aims to unlock low-carbon and renewable value chains and drive the development of clean ammonia as a hydrogen carrier, globally. Yara operates the largest global ammonia network with 13 ships, access to 18 ammonia terminals, and multiple ammonia production and consumption sites worldwide, including Brunsbüttel in Germany.

Yara is also the world’s largest AdBlue® (Diesel Exhaust Fluid) producer and plans to capture further growth opportunities in low-carbon and renewable fuels for shipping and multiple industrial applications. The Brunsbüttel plant has an annual production capacity of 800,000 tons of ammonia, 770,000 tonnes of urea, and 1.8 million tonnes of AdBlue.

Founded in 1905 to address famine in Europe, Yara has established itself as the industry’s only global crop nutrition company. With 18,000 employees and operations in more than 60 countries, sustainability is an integral part of our business model. In 2023, Yara reported revenues of USD 15.5 billion. For more information, visit www.yara.com.