Croatian import terminal to receive green ammonia from Brazil

Project developer Green Energy Park (GEP) has revealed plans to build a renewable ammonia facility in Piauí, Brazil, for exports to the proposed import terminal on the island of Krk, Croatia.

To this end, GEP signed a letter of intent (LO) with The State of Piauí, Brazil, for the production and export of an initial 1 million tons of ammonia from renewable energy sources. The LOI was signed on October 11, 2023, at the World Hydrogen Congress in Rotterdam.

The project developer intends to build its first 5 GW upstream renewable ammonia production and export facility in Piauí to supply its global distribution network with an initial focus on European end markets. According to Green Energy Park, the Piauí plant will be the first of a minimum of eight giga-watt upstream facilities.

Green Energy Park said the focus will be on exporting ammonia to Green Energy Park Krk, a purpose-built ammonia midstream facility at the North Adriatic Sea, which was announced in September this year.

Green Energy Park Krk has a total capacity of 10 million tons of ammonia import, storage, and distribution per year, featuring a deep-water seaport, terminal facilities, storage assets, and a solar energy park.

The staged development program will start ammonia trading through on-site bunker vessels, operating as a storage hub, until the completion of the first 100,000 m3 purpose-built ammonia storage tank expected for mid-2027.

Once completed, the facility will also be able to supply the industrial heartlands of Northern Italy, Southern Germany, and surrounding regions, with the equivalent of about 1,8 million tons of hydrogen per year. This is said to represent nearly 18% of the European Union’s official import target of 10 million tons of hydrogen by 2030.

Bart Biebuyck, CEO of Green Energy Park, highlighted the company’s aim that each franchise member achieves bankability without public subsidies as “the world needs many more private initiatives like Green Energy Park to accelerate the energy transition and have a real impact on the decarbonization pathway of our economy”.

“Therefore, we welcome private parties to join our open franchise network and collaborate with us along the various parts of the hydrogen value chain. Our mission is to unite upstream, midstream, and downstream facilities and coordinate the timing and scale of investment activities between our network partners. Our common goal is to decarbonize energy at competitive prices for future generations to live in prosperity and in a vibrant, healthy environment,” Biebuyck said.

During the World Hydrogen Congress in Rotterdam, GEP also formed a strategic partnership with Puklavec Family Wines, aiming to link its midstream ammonia import and distribution facility in Croatia with the winery as the off-taker.