Europe's first ammonia-fired power generation facility could be developed in Cork 

PLANS are being made for the potential development of Europe’s first-ever ammonia-fired power-generation facility in East Cork.

Centrica plc and Mitsubishi Power Europe Limited have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOE) to explore the development of such a facility at Bord Gáis Energy’s Whitegate combined cycle gas turbine power station.

The project is being led by Centrica through its Bord Gáis Energy and Centrica Energy businesses and Mitsubishi Power Europe.

Global demonstration site

The facility, if developed, would be one of only two such facilities in the world.

It would serve as a global demonstration site for ammonia-fired power generation technology.

The companies said that the facility would provide insight into the feasibility and scalability of low-carbon ammonia as a green fuel, and shape the future of power generation worldwide, with low-carbon ammonia being sourced through Centrica Energy’s global trading network.

Low-carbon ammonia has a higher volumetric density than hydrogen, enabling the utilisation of low-carbon hydrogen in a form that is easy to transport and store, resulting in a fuel that can be combusted with no carbon emissions at point of use.

Its use as a fuel has been described by Centrica as “a promising long-term energy solution for the transition to a low-carbon energy value chain”.

Centrica group CEO Chris O’Shea said it is one of the many projects Centrica is working on to show how the hydrogen economy could work in practice.

“In this instance, we hope to be able to show how hydrogen could be stored and transported as low-carbon ammonia, delivering cleaner energy for customers at the point of use,” he said.

Bord Gáis Energy managing director Dave Kirwan said the signing of the memorandum represents a significant step in advancing its commitment to a sustainable and low-emission energy landscape.

“We believe that the strategic combination of Centrica’s vision, investment, and global trading capability, along with Mitsubishi Power Europe’s innovation and technology, complemented by Bord Gáis Energy’s existing assets, will effectively drive the success of this transformative project,” he said.

'A leap forward'

Mitsubishi Power president and chief executive for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, Javier Cavada, said that the collaboration with Centrica and Bord Gáis demonstrates Mitsubishi Power’s commitment to pursuing “cutting-edge decarbonisation solutions to meet the demand for electricity while transitioning towards a more sustainable energy future”.

“It is truly a leap forward toward a cleaner, greener energy future, enabled by Europe’s first ammonia-fired power generation facility utilising low-carbon ammonia,” he said.

Following the memorandum signing, a project team is being established to commence project-feasibility assessments.

Upon the successful outcome of this assessment, extensive local stakeholder engagement is due to commence.