General – Ammonia
Germany has taken formal delivery of its first batch of hydrogen-based ammonia from the UAE, the green fuel it hopes will help replace coal and gas used by energy-intensive industries.
The delivery, which arrived in Hamburg on Friday, was modest — a single container of 13 tonnes of ammonia.
But it was symbolic of the deal’s potential for both countries.
A joint ceremony at the northern German port city of Hamburg was attended by Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, UAE special envoy for climate change, group chief executive of Adnoc and chairman of Masdar, and Robert Habeck, German Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action and Vice Chancellor.
Germany is scrambling to substitute natural gas imports from Russia, while also staying on track for its ambitious goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025.
One alternative is energy-rich hydrogen gas, provided it is made with the help of renewable energy. Since hydrogen is difficult to transport it is sometimes stored as liquid ammonia.
