JERA & Uniper are collaborating to facilitate the development of the initial production of 2 MTPA of clean ammonia with expansion potential up to 8 MTPA, to accelerate the production and supply of zero-carbon fuels from the US for use in the US, Europe, Japan, and greater Asia.

The proposed facility on the US Gulf Coast, developed by JERA Americas and ConocoPhillips, aims to produce hydrogen and convert it into clean ammonia to be supplied to JERA and Uniper under long-term sale and purchase agreements, with Europe as the primary initial export market, with Uniper targeting about 1 MTPA of green ammonia from all sources by the end of the decade.

A project engineering study will be completed by year end to develop the first phase of this landmark project which will assess green and blue hydrogen opportunities. It is expected to reach commercial operation in the late 2020s including a complete certified CCS program.

Both companies are working jointly to optimize their LNG portfolio. As a result, Uniper will be able to supply additional LNG to Germany and JERA to Japan and beyond.

JERA and ConocoPhillips will be a low-cost ammonia supplier to domestic and international markets. We believe this project offers a unique opportunity to support Germany’s decarbonization efforts while advancing ammonia technology development for hydrogen distribution and industrial decarbonization.

—Steven Winn, CEO of JERA Americas Inc.

Established in 2015, JERA (Japan’s Energy for a New Era) is an equal joint venture of two major Japanese electric companies, TEPCO Fuel & Power Incorporated and Chubu Electric Power Company and produces about 30% of all electricity in Japan. JERA is an energy company with global reach that has strength in the entire energy supply chain, from participation in LNG upstream projects and fuel procurement, through fuel transportation to power generation.

Uniper is a leading international energy company, has around 11,500 employees, and operates in more than 40 countries. The company plans for its power generation business in Europe to be carbon-neutral by 2035. Uniper’s roughly 33 GW of installed generation capacity make it one of the world’s largest electricity producers.

Uniper is a hydrogen pioneer, is active worldwide along the entire hydrogen value chain, and is conducting projects to make hydrogen a mainstay of the energy supply. The company is based in Düsseldorf. Together with its main shareholder Fortum, Uniper is also Europe’s third-largest producer of zero-carbon energy.