Topsoe Selected For ACWA’s Yanbu Green Ammonia Project In Saudi Arabia

Topsoe has been selected to support a major green ammonia project in Saudi Arabia, marking another important step in the country’s clean energy transition. The company will provide its ammonia technology to ACWA Power’s Yanbu Green Hydrogen Project, which is planned to be developed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The project aims to convert green hydrogen into green ammonia at an industrial scale, supporting global decarbonization efforts.

Under the agreement, Topsoe will act as the ammonia technology licensor for ACWA’s ammonia plant at Yanbu. The green ammonia facility is expected to take a final investment decision in 2026, with commercial operations planned to begin in 2030. Once fully operational, the plant is expected to help avoid around 1.7 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions every year compared to conventional ammonia production based on natural gas.

Topsoe’s technology will enable green hydrogen produced at the Yanbu project to be efficiently converted into ammonia. In addition to licensing its dynamic ammonia technology, Topsoe will also supply engineering support, proprietary equipment, and catalysts. These will be delivered to Sinopec and Técnicas Reunidas, who have jointly secured the Front-End Engineering Design contract for the project.

The agreement further strengthens the existing partnership between Topsoe and ACWA. By integrating advanced dynamic ammonia technology, the project is expected to support the large-scale production of green ammonia, which is seen as a key solution for reducing emissions in energy-intensive industries and long-distance transport.

According to Topsoe, green ammonia will play a critical role in global decarbonization as it can be transported using existing infrastructure and used not only as a fuel or hydrogen carrier but also in hard-to-abate sectors such as steel and cement manufacturing. ACWA has highlighted that the project will help convert Saudi Arabia’s competitive renewable energy resources into green hydrogen-based fuels for global markets, while also supporting the country’s Vision 2030 industrial transformation goals.

The Yanbu Green Ammonia Project is designed as a large-scale development for gigawatt-scale green hydrogen production. The initial phase includes mega-scale green ammonia units with a combined capacity of 2,700 metric tons per day, with plans to replicate the model in future units.

A key feature of Topsoe’s solution is its dynamic ammonia technology, which allows ammonia production to adjust in response to fluctuations in renewable electricity supply. The system can ramp production up or down at a rate of at least 3% per minute, reducing the need for large hydrogen storage systems. This flexibility is expected to lower both capital and operating costs while enabling renewable electricity to be stored in the form of a zero-carbon chemical.

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