The development of greenfield low-carbon ammonia production capacity at CF Industries’ Blue Point Complex in Louisiana.

In April 2024, CF Industries and JERA executed a joint development agreement for the project. The JDA will guide JERA and CF Industries’ evaluation of a joint venture agreement to build an approximately 1.4 million metric ton capacity low-carbon ammonia plant. JERA is contemplating a 48% ownership stake in the project as well as an agreement to procure more than 500,000 metric tons of low-carbon ammonia annually to meet demand for low-carbon fuels in Japan. JERA and CF Industries aim to reach a final investment decision on the proposed project within a year for commencing production in 2028. The JDA comes after an MoU signed by CF Industries and JERA in January 2023. The MoU included the supply to JERA of up to 500,000 metric tonnes per year of clean ammonia beginning in 2027.

At the same time, CF Industries is in a 52-48% joint venture with Mitsui, through which it is developing a blue ammonia production facility at Blue Point Complex, with an FID originally expected in 2023. In early 2024, the companies completed the FEED study for the project but continued conducting additional studies to evaluate the specific carbon intensity of various technology options. They are now targeting the second half of 2024 for FID and the project is expected to begin production in 2027 at the earliest.

In May 2024, CF Industries clarified that it would seek to align JERA Co. and Mitsui to aggregate demand under a single project, saying that the two partnerships were initially based on different technologies, but it is CF Industries’ hope to find a way to have all partners participate in the same project.