Cracker development is essential for Europe to unlock Ammonia's potential

LONDON, March 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- AFC Energy has today launched its new ammonia cracker technology platform - an innovative new hydrogen generation solution that aims to unlock the value of ammonia as a hydrogen carrier fuel across European and Asian energy markets. AFC Energy's technology platform will help overcome challenges related to hydrogen generation, storage, and transport. It will pave the way for greater usage of green hydrogen in hard-to-abate industries that are seeking to decarbonise.

AFC Energy's cracker technology has been accelerated in response to material growth in ammonia imports recently contracted into Europe (as a hydrogen carrier fuel) to support the EU's sustainable energy policies and address energy independence challenges arising out of the Ukraine conflict. 

However, the region is ill-prepared to exploit the increase in ammonia imports due to a lack of cracker capacity; a technology that has faced limited demand and negligible investment in recent decades.

The launch of AFC Energy's advanced technology platform for ammonia crackers is the latest development in its Flex-Fuel strategy, designed to meet the growing need for low cost, on-site hydrogen production. The new technology platform is a highly innovative development with no comparable rival.

AFC Energy is in discussions with companies and industries ranging from ship owners, utilities, OEMs, and industrial scale hydrogen users, validating the emerging opportunities in this nascent industry. 

The ammonia cracker's modular design and low-cost system architecture makes the cracker readily scalable from small-scale hydrogen production to multi-million tonnes per annum. This modern solution can help meet the growing demand for clean hydrogen power in off-grid applications, particularly in hard-to-abate sectors.

The market for AFC Energy's ammonia cracker technology is expected to be substantial; IRENA notes that by 2050, in the 1.5C scenario, the market for ammonia as a fuel for maritime transport and for stationary power is larger than all current markets for ammonia combined. Ammonia has been used as the preferred carrier fuel for customers of hydrogen fuel across the world and demand is forecast to reach 223 million tonnes by 2030 in a 1.5C scenario, a massive increase from today's levels.¹

Adam Bond, Chief Executive Officer at AFC Energy, said: 

"AFC Energy's new ammonia cracking technology platform takes us into the hydrogen generation market facilitating renewed energy security and reliability. Clean ammonia is affirmed as a preferred means of transporting hydrogen to end users, particularly in Europe and Asia, and now AFC Energy is targeting these key markets to enable a faster, more widespread adoption of hydrogen where storage and transportation challenges might otherwise present short-term challenges." 

¹ IRENA Innovation Outlook Ammonia