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NextChem to start feasibility study for a green ammonia plant in Iowa

| By Mary Bailey

Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. (Milan, Italy) announced that its subsidiaries NextChem, MET Development and Stamicarbon have reached an agreement with U.S.-based Greenfield Nitrogen LLC, to develop the first dedicated green ammonia plant in the US Midwest. As part of the agreement, NextChem will start a feasibility study for the 240 metric tons per day green ammonia project, utilizing renewable energy as feedstock via the intermediate production of green hydrogen. MET Development will assist Greenfield Nitrogen in the development of the project. The plant will be designed utilizing the best available technologies for the green hydrogen production together with the ammonia technology that will be provided by Stamicarbon, which earlier this year launched its new STAMI Green Ammonia technology. 

The project is the first of a series of green ammonia facilities that Greenfield Nitrogen is interested to strategically develop in the US Corn Belt. The plant and storage facility, which will be located near Garner, Iowa, will be powered by local renewable sources and will supply the ammonia to the local market, which traditionally is a large ammonia-consuming market. 

The green ammonia plant will strengthen the development of the low carbon industry in the region and is expected to save over 166,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year. The production of around 83,000 tons of ammonia per year will reduce the region’s dependency on the ammonia currently imported from abroad. 

Pierroberto Folgiero, Chief Executive Officer of Maire Tecnimont Group commented: “We are very pleased that Greenfield Nitrogen has chosen Maire Tecnimont as their partner of choice for this exciting project. The combination of co-developer, technology provider and EPC contractor makes Maire Tecnimont a unique player in the green ammonia market, an area that will be vital to industrialize the on-going energy transition through green hydrogen. Thanks to Greenfield Nitrogen’s experience and local presence we expect this first project to pave the way for other green industrial initiatives to come”.

Linda Thrasher, President, Greenfield Nitrogen, LLC commented: “This partnership represents a collaboration of strengths. As a development partner, Maire Tecnimont and its subsidiaries bring decades of expertise in successfully designing and executing nitrogen projects as well as creating new technology, including state-of-the-art zero-carbon facilities. Greenfield’s development expertise, operational experience, and market knowledge align well and position both companies to play a critical role in meeting the world’s decarbonization goals”.