Saudi Arabian oil company Aramco and SABIC Agri-Nutrients obtained the world’s first independent certification recognizing “blue” hydrogen and ammonia production, the companies announced in a joint statement on Thursday.
TUV Rheinland, a leading independent testing, inspection and certification agency based in Germany, granted the certification to SABIC Agri-Nutrients in Jubail for 37,800 tons of “blue” ammonia and Aramco’s wholly-owned refinery (SASREF), also in Jubail, for 8,075 tons of “blue” hydrogen.
To certify ammonia and hydrogen as “blue”, a significant part of the CO2 associated with the manufacturing process needs to be captured and utilized in downstream applications, according to the statement.
“These certifications are the first of their kind in the world and signify a major milestone in our efforts to develop clean energy solutions, and advance our hydrogen and ammonia export capabilities,” Olivier Thorel, Aramco Vice President of Chemicals, was quoted as saying in the statement.
SABIC Vice President Fahad Al-Sherehy, for his part, said the move would help companies to leverage their strong existing infrastructure to produce blue ammonia that can help meet the world's growing needs for sustainable solutions.
In 2020, Aramco and SABIC collaborated on the world's first shipment of blue ammonia, a carrier of hydrogen, from Saudi Arabia to Japan. Forty tons of high-grade blue ammonia were dispatched for use in low-carbon power generation.
While marking a milestone for Aramco and SABIC in becoming global leaders in hydrogen and ammonia, the move is also helping Aramco reach its target to produce up to 11 million tons per annum of blue ammonia by 2030.
By Sibel Morrow
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr