China Scales Up Green Ammonia Production, Japan Moves Toward Commercializing Ammonia Gas Turbines

Korea Energy Economics Institute Hosts Clean Hydrogen Supply Chain Innovation Forum
Envision Energy of China Builds Green Hydrogen Production Facility with Capacity up to 5 Million Tons
Japan Develops Gas Turbine Technology for 100% Ammonia Combustion

On December 2, 2025, attendees are taking a commemorative photo at the "2025 Clean Hydrogen Supply Chain Technology Innovation Forum" held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul. Photo by Kang Heejong

In response to climate change and the pursuit of carbon neutrality, neighboring countries are rapidly moving to utilize ammonia as an energy source. China is launching large-scale projects to produce green ammonia using renewable energy sources such as wind power. Japan is preparing to commercialize gas turbines capable of generating electricity by combusting 100% ammonia.

At the "2025 Clean Hydrogen Supply Chain Technology Innovation Forum," held on December 2, 2025, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul and hosted by the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment and the Korea Energy Economics Institute, Frank Yu, Vice President of Envision Energy in China, participated as a speaker and stated, "We have established a dynamic system that integrates the entire process, including our self-developed wind turbines, alkaline electrolyzers, battery energy storage systems (BESS), air separation units, and hydrogen storage facilities." He added, "A 500-megawatt (MW) green hydrogen production facility capable of dynamic operation to address renewable energy volatility is currently in operation."

Envision Energy is developing a business model to convert green hydrogen into green ammonia and supply it to Asian countries such as China and Japan. To this end, the company has built a green ammonia production facility linked to wind power generation in the Chifeng region of Inner Mongolia. Frank Yu explained, "In the first phase, we have launched a production line with an annual capacity of 320,000 tons," and added, "We plan to expand production capacity to 5 million tons in the future." He emphasized, "Through mass production, we can lower the price of green ammonia below that of blue ammonia by 2030."

Takashi Yoshiyama, Senior Manager at Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) in Japan, said, "Through the Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain (HESC) pilot project, we have demonstrated the technological and operational feasibility of long-distance liquefied hydrogen (LH2) transport between Japan and Australia." He continued, "The Suiso Frontier, the world's first liquefied hydrogen carrier, completed three round trips between Japan and Australia (a total of 57,000 km), confirming the safety and viability of the entire maritime transport process."

He explained, "In the demonstration of the liquefied hydrogen carrier and the Hy touch Kobe liquefied hydrogen storage tank, we achieved a boil-off rate (BOR) performance equivalent to that of liquefied natural gas (LNG)." For liquefied hydrogen, which is transported at ultra-low temperatures below minus 253 degrees Celsius, suppressing the boil-off rate is considered a key challenge for commercialization. The daily boil-off rate of the Suiso Frontier was 0.3%, while the daily boil-off rate of the Hy touch Kobe storage tank was 0.06%. When transported from Australia to Japan over 17 days, the liquefaction loss rate was about 5%.

Kawasaki Heavy Industries added, "Based on the results of the pilot, we are moving forward with the construction of a medium-sized liquefied hydrogen carrier with a capacity of 40,000 m³ and an import terminal with a 50,000 m³ storage tank. In addition, we are working to expand the LH2 supply chain in Europe through collaboration with Daimler Truck in 2024."

Toshiro Fujimori, Technical Advisor at IHI, another Japanese company, introduced the latest achievements in power generation technology using ammonia. He said, "We have developed a 2 MW-class gas turbine that operates on 100% liquid ammonia, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 99% compared to natural gas turbines." Based on this, he stated, "We plan to develop an F-class ammonia gas turbine by 2030."

He further explained, "We will provide solutions to achieve 100% ammonia combustion in high-efficiency gas turbines, which is a core goal for decarbonizing thermal power generation." IHI is collaborating with GE Vernova on the development of ammonia gas turbines.

Technical Advisor Fujimori added, "In the boiler sector, we have completed the world's first demonstration of 1,000 MW-class thermal power generation using a 20% ammonia blend, and we will actively develop 100% ammonia combustion technology to promote carbon neutrality."

Elena Stylianou, Technical Director at KBR, an American engineering company, stated, "Through our next-generation ammonia cracking solution H2ACT, we aim to play a key technological role in the transition to clean hydrogen-based power generation." She added, "We can produce up to 99.97% high-purity hydrogen from liquid ammonia, and by integrating vaporization, preheating, cracking, and PSA purification processes with proven materials and catalysts, we have ensured high safety and stability."

She further noted, "KBR has completed integrated design research for H2ACT and combined cycle power plants (CCPP) in collaboration with gas turbine manufacturers, and we are presenting designs optimized for both large-scale and small-scale power generation applications."

Stefan Kaufmann, Chairman of the Board of the German TransHyDE 2.0 Initiative, said, "The Hydrogen Core Network, which connects hydrogen production, import, storage, and demand hubs, is the core infrastructure of Germany's hydrogen economy." He explained, "To enable investment despite initial demand shortages, we have introduced a financing model based on AMK (repayment account)."

The Hydrogen Core Network is a project to connect hydrogen via pipelines, similar to natural gas. The European Union is planning to invest 8 to 14.3 million euros by 2040 to connect 53,000 km of hydrogen pipelines. In Germany, the goal is to connect 9,040 km of hydrogen pipelines at a cost of 1.89 billion euros.

Chairman Kaufmann added, "Demand is concentrated in a few large consumers, such as clean hydrogen power generation (CHP), steel, and chemicals, and there are many power generation and industrial facilities located away from the core network." He emphasized, "Alongside the core network, it is necessary to pursue decentralized supply models, such as regional water electrolysis and trucking."

During the second session, chaired by Professor Song Hanho of Seoul National University, a comprehensive panel discussion and Q&A session were held. Makoto Shimouchi, Director at the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC), stated, "Japan believes that building a hydrogen supply chain is essential for decarbonization, energy security, and strengthening industrial competitiveness. To this end, the government has established the J-CfD system to compensate for price gaps and is supporting projects to build a low-carbon hydrogen supply chain."

Lee Hyejin, Director at the Korea Energy Economics Institute, which hosted the forum, said, "Technological innovation in the hydrogen ecosystem is already being realized across the entire cycle, from production to utilization." She added, "How quickly we can demonstrate and connect these innovations to the market will determine our future competitiveness."