Project YaREN: Blue ammonia at Ingleside
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Project Q&A
Q: What is blue ammonia?
A: Project YaREN is being designed and plans to operate as a blue ammonia facility on the first day of operations. For a blue ammonia classification, most of the CO2 from the facility must be captured and permanently stored underground. Approximately 95% of the CO2 generated from Project YaREN is expected to be captured, transported, and sequestered in permanent geological storage in South Texas.
Producing blue ammonia is a low-carbon alternative to traditional ammonia production methods, as it combines carbon dioxide capture and permanent sequestration and storage technologies during the production of hydrogen and ammonia from natural gas.
Q: What process will be used to create the ammonia?
A: Creating blue ammonia begins by extracting pure hydrogen from natural gas. Using a process called reforming, natural gas and water are combined at high pressures and temperatures. During reforming, hydrogen separates from carbon and oxygen—and carbon dioxide is formed as a byproduct.
With blue ammonia, CO2 is captured. This step is called carbon capture and storage (CCS). This plant will use Auto-thermal Reforming (ATR) which is a technically advanced, more efficient form of the process which allows for greater carbon capture. Then, the hydrogen is combined with nitrogen captured from the air in the Haber-Bosch process—which creates ammonia.
Q: What will happen to the carbon dioxide?
A: For a blue ammonia classification, most of the CO2 from the facility must be captured and permanently stored underground. Approximately 95% of the CO2 generated from Project YaREN is expected to be captured during production, transported via pipeline out of the YaREN facility, and sequestered in permanent geological storage in South Texas.
Q: Is ammonia explosive?
A: Project YaREN will produce ammonia gas, which is not explosive. The form of ammonia that is explosive and linked to large-scale industrial incidents—ammonium nitrate—will not be produced by Project YaREN, nor will it be onsite.
Q: How are you transporting and exporting the ammonia?
A: Pipelines will route the materials through the plant—this is the safest way to transport ammonia. While in the facility, the ammonia will be stored in double-walled tanks with vapor-recovery. Then, the pipelines will carry the product to ships—all within our facility. The ammonia will be exported from the facility to customers on ships.
At all times, the product will be in a liquid state, which is key to ensuring the safety of our employees and our neighbors.
The ammonia will be transported in bulk on large ships the same way it is stored: as a liquid at cold temperatures and at regular atmospheric pressure. It will not be shipped via railroad tanks or trucks. At no point will the product go through the community—or interact with the public.
Q: Why are you permitting the facility for gray ammonia?
A: “Gray ammonia” refers to the production method of ammonia that does not utilize carbon capture. Project YaREN is not expected to operate as a gray ammonia facility; this is just a contingency for the unlikely event that the CO2 pipeline for transportation and sequestration is not available when the plant is ready to startup.
Q: Who will regulate the facility?
A: Once operational, the facility will be regulated by multiple state and federal agencies, including: Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).
Q: Will Project YaREN produce ammonium nitrate?
A: No. Project YaREN will not be producing ammonium nitrate.
Q: What are your emergency response plans in the event of an incident?
A: At the time of commissioning, Emergency Response Plans will be in place for both the plant and the community. We are still early in project development, and emergency response plans are developed once we have a detailed final design. Plant personnel and local First Responders will be trained and equipped with the necessary materials in the unlikely event of an incident.
Q: Where will you get the large amount of water required for the hydrogen process?
A: We are still early in project development. As the engineering studies progress next year, we will have more information to share on water usage sourcing.
Q: How will you engage with the community?
A: We are committed to ongoing community involvement throughout the design, permitting and operations of the project. We will engage with our neighbors through regular updates in person and through other methods where we will share more information, receive community input, and answer any questions. We have established a website, phone number and email address to ensure we have community engagement as the project is developed.
Q: How many permanent jobs will be available once the facility is operational?
A: This project will generate 4,000 jobs at the peak of construction and up to 100 permanent jobs once operational.
Q: Is Project YaREN producing blue hydrogen and blue ammonia?
A: No, Project YaREN will only be producing blue ammonia—not blue hydrogen. When Enbridge first announced this project in May 2022, it had a different commercial partner and considered blue hydrogen production as a component of the project. Following market changes and a change in commercial partners to Yara Clean Ammonia, the scope of the project has changed, focusing on the production of blue ammonia.
