Installing small ammonia manufacturing facilities for industrial use.
Responds to reductions in domestic ammonia production volumes and rapidly increasing　import prices through on-site ammonia production.

We are aiming for the social implementation and commercialization of ammonia manufacturing plants that can synthesize ammonia at low temperatures and low pressures, has received an order for small ammonia synthesizing facilities, the second commercial unit in Japan for industrial applications.

Plant image

In recent years, an increasing number of ammonia production plants in Japan are shutting down, and with rapidly increasing import prices, there has been a growing concern regarding the ammonia supply chain. On-site ammonia production facilities that utilize Tsubame BHB’s electride catalyst technologies resolve these issues, achieving stable ammonia supply.

The small ammonia synthesis facilities recently ordered have an annual production capacity of 500 tons. Tsubame BHB will supply the small ammonia manufacturing facilities, as well as the ammonia synthesis catalysts. The customer is also considering future expansion of these small ammonia manufacturing facilities.

Schedule

• Customer verified introduction of Tsubame BHB’s technologies from 2022
• Basic design began in January 2024, and detailed design began in August 2024
• Startup of ammonia production scheduled for around the summer of 2026

Comment from Tsubame BHB CEO Koji Nakamura

Since we received an order for a second unit in Japan, I have been aware of the strong demand for on-site ammonia production. Tsubame BHB’s ammonia production technologies are unique in that they operate under low-temperature, low-pressure conditions, and they also contribute to decarbonization by promoting the use of renewable energy. Amid the recent Ukraine conflict, the EU is no longer able to procure inexpensive natural gas from Russia, and this has led to the shutdown of many ammonia plants, with increasing risks to the supply chain. The Japanese company that placed the recent order also decided to introduce our on-site ammonia manufacturing facilities because of concerns about the supply chain. Recently, the EU decided to introduce the world’s first Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which means that companies have been obligated to report on carbon emission volumes since October 2023, and from 2026, actual taxation is scheduled to begin in keeping with emission volumes. With this in mind, countries around the world are being pressed to accommodate decarbonization. In response to all this, we believe that rather than importing gray ammonia from outside of the EU, manufacturing green ammonia within the EU offers greater potential to hedge supply chain risks and meet demand for decarbonization. We are promoting the active introduction of on-site ammonia manufacturing facilities and the realization of a carbon free society, not only in Japan but around the world.

Read the full Press Release from here