Amogy ammonia-to-power system approved by LR

Amogy, the US-based ammonia power solutions company, has received approval in principle (AiP) from classification society Lloyd’s Register.

As explained, this represents a significant milestone in certifying Amogy’s ammonia-to-power system for maritime applications, which will be demonstrated for the first time in a maritime vessel in 2023.

The AiP covers an ammonia power system that generates electricity from liquid ammonia to power maritime vessels. This is achieved by cracking the liquid ammonia to hydrogen, and using the produced hydrogen to generate electrical power through proton-exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells.

Following this achievement, Amogy said it will continue the technology qualification and type approval processes, which would make the ammonia-to-power system fit for use on maritime vessels.

Amogy, backed by investors including Amazon, SK, and Saudi Aramco, has plans for a world-first zero-emission, ammonia-powered maritime demonstration in 2023. This follows previous successful demonstrations of this technology in a drone and a tractor.

Furthermore, Amogy is working with industry partners across the ammonia and shipping value chains to evaluate its power solutions for commercial use in upcoming newbuild and retrofit vessels. This AiP will strengthen the company’s position to commercialize this technology.

“This important milestone is further validation in Amogy as we continue to work towards full commercialization of our … ammonia technology in the maritime industry,” Seonghoon Woo, CEO of Amogy, commented.

“As we get closer to bringing our system to market, it is critical to solve unique safety challenges for the design and operation of ammonia-fueled vessels, and our team is committed to working with key partners, such as Lloyd’s Register, to enable its safe adoption by the industry.”

Globally, shipping accounts for approximately 3% of greenhouse gas emissions, which is expected to climb up to 10% by 2050 if no solution is implemented. Decarbonizing this hard-to-abate industry remains a challenge due to the size and operational requirements associated with global shipping.

Ammonia offers a significant potential to enable future zero-emission shipping, as the material presents high energy density and favorable economics, supported by existing transportation and storage infrastructure globally.

Recently, Amogy partnered with Norwegian shipping and technology company Amon Maritime to advance carbon-free, ammonia power solutions for the global shipping industry. The end goal is to bring zero-carbon ammonia-powered shipping to market rapidly.

The company also contracted Swedish fuel producer PowerCell to deliver a fuel cell system and related services for installation in Amogy’s ammonia-powered workboat.