It was March that South Korea’s LOTTE Fine Chemical announced that it has successfully completed the world’s first commercial cross-border import of green ammonia. Then on April 23, the Ulsan Port Authority announced the successful completion of the world’s first ammonia bunkering operation involving a gas carrier at the port – a world first port-to-ship ammonia bunkering operation.
This milestone builds on Ulsan Port’s earlier achievements, including the world’s first methanol bunkering demonstration and simultaneous LNG bunkering operations for car carriers.
The ammonia bunkering fueled Exmar’s newly-launched Antwerpen, and the company imported green ammonia from Envision Group, a green technology company in China. The shipment was stored at LOTTE Fine Chemical’s ammonia terminal in Ulsan, the largest ammonia terminal in Asia.
The green ammonia was produced entirely using wind and solar power at the world’s largest green hydrogen and ammonia production complex, the Chifeng Net Zero Industrial Park, built by Envision in Inner Mongolia.
LOTTE Fine Chemical plans to use the imported green ammonia to meet growing demand for carbon-free energy applications, including ammonia bunkering, co-firing power generation, and as a clean hydrogen carrier.
The company aims to position itself as the top clean ammonia hub in Asia.
Seung-won Chung, CEO of LOTTE Fine Chemical, stated: “The world is paying close attention to this first-ever commercial introduction of green ammonia, not only at the corporate and national levels but globally. This milestone carries historic significance as the starting point for building a green hydrogen and ammonia value chain, a leading solution envisioned by humanity to address the climate crisis through carbon-free energy transition.”
Envision’s Chifeng Net Zero Industrial Park was officially commissioned in July 2025, and it is now delivering 320,000 tons of green ammonia annually.
The plant is powered by a proprietary AI-integrated off-grid renewable system featuring advanced wind turbines, grid-forming battery storage, and predictive meteorological modeling. This system dynamically balances wind and solar input with electrolyzer and ammonia synthesis demands, ensuring continuous, cost-effective green fuel production without grid reliance. Surplus green power is converted to liquid nitrogen.
Lei Zhang, Envision’s Founder and CEO, said: “Scalable, green alternatives are now real and operational. We can’t get to net zero without green hydrogen, and we can’t afford to wait. This is the blueprint for a clean energy future.”
By 2028, the industrial park is projected to produce 1.5 million tons of green ammonia per year.
