CF Industries looks at partnership to produce hydrogen and ammonia at Oklahoma plant

CF Industries is proposing a partnership with a major green power producer at its Oklahoma fertilizer plant site to produce zero-emission hydrogen and ammonia.

A memorandum of understanding announced late Monday states the global ammonia producer and NextEra Energy would see a proposed 450-megawatt solar panel facility built near CF’s Verdigris production facility, near Tulsa.

That would directly power a new, jointly owned electrolyser unit to separate hydrogen and oxygen from water. CF would then combine it with nitrogen to produce so-called “green ammonia” without the carbon dioxide emissions produced in stripping apart natural gas.

CF Industries has set a goal of becoming integrated in the hydrogen economy by using its logistics network to transport ammonia, which the company sees as a reliable transportation medium.

The new production appears to be designated for fertilizer production, however.

“The use of decarbonized ammonia in agriculture offers the most certain, quantifiable and verifiable ways to reduce the lifecycle carbon footprint of the food we eat,” said CF president and CEO Tony Will in a statement.

The project has been submitted to a U.S. Department of Energy program for financial support through HALO hydrogen production hub proposal involving Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.

No final decision has been made, with the release stating that the companies “anticipate that support for the project from the DOE program will be a key aspect of their evaluation process.”

The expected hydrogen production would be 100,000 tons annually, while avoiding 130,000 tons of carbon dioxide.

NextEra Energy Resources is one of the largest renewable power suppliers in the U.S., with operations in 40 states and Canada with several wind facilities in Ontario and one in Trochu, Alta.