Envision Energy is supplying food and beverage giant PepsiCo with environmental attribute certificates linked to green ammonia produced at its Chifeng Net-Zero Industrial Park in Inner Mongolia, China.
With the first 1,000 tonnes of credentials already attributed, the new purchase agreement is linked to an unspecified volume of ammonia produced at the 500MW plant until 2030.
It follows Envision joining the Ammonia Energy Association’s (AEA) pilot Ammonia Certification System in April, adopting a book-and-claim mechanism for the 320,000 tonne-per-year facility.
This allows a buyer to pay for production without physically receiving the exact molecules, instead receiving a certificate or “claim” that proves their purchase contributed to sustainable production.
Envision plans to upgrade the plant’s capacity to 1.5 million tonnes by 2028.
PepsiCo is also claiming the environmental benefits of 30,000 tonnes of ammonia made by US start-up TalusAG as it ramps up its supply of low-carbon feedstocks for fertilisers used in its global agricultural operations.
Third-party experts bill certification and registries as critical for enabling the trade of green ammonia.
However, current systems still face gaps in transparency and comparability, raising questions about how reliably book-and-claim models reflect real-world emissions.
Beyond ammonia, analysts have warned that certificates alone may not fully capture real emissions or allow fair comparisons.
However, with long-distance clean hydrogen trade still in its infancy, industry players suggest these will support production and use while avoiding logistical constraints in the early ramp-up phase.
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