Energy Saudi Arabia to build new blue ammonia plant By Pramod Kumar July 4, 2024, 6:50 AM Alamy via Reuters Saudi Arabia's Sabic Agri-Nutrients will build its new blue ammonia production facility in Jubail Industrial City Saudi Arabia’s energy ministry has approved feedstock for a new blue ammonia plant. Sabic Agri-Nutrients Company, which trades on the Saudi stock exchange, will build its sixth facility in Jubail Industrial City to produce 1.2 million metric tonnes per annum (mmtpa) of low-carbon blue ammonia and 1.1 mmtpa of urea and specialised agri-nutrients. Engineering studies will evaluate the latest technologies to select the most efficient in terms of energy and feedstock utilisation. NewsletterGet the Best of AGBI delivered straight to your inbox every week No details on the cost of the project were shared. In November 2022, Riyadh shipped 50 kilometre-tonnes (kmt) of low-carbon blue ammonia to South Korea. Sabic Agri-Nutrients and Saudi Aramco received the first certifications for blue ammonia and blue hydrogen production from Germany’s certification agency TÜV Rheinland in 2022. The two companies are also teaming up in the low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia space to develop solutions for various applications in the energy, fertiliser and chemicals sectors. The hydrogen rainbow Green hydrogen is produced on a carbon-neutral basis through water electrolysis. Turquoise hydrogen is created when natural gas is broken down into hydrogen and solid carbon with the help of methane pyrolysis. Blue hydrogen is generated from the steam reduction of natural gas. Grey hydrogen is obtained by steam reforming fossil fuels such as natural gas or coal. Sometimes other colours are ascribed to hydrogen, based on how it is produced. For red, pink and violet hydrogen, the electrolysers are driven by nuclear power. Yellow hydrogen is hydrogen produced from a mixture of renewable energies and fossil fuels. White hydrogen is a waste product of other chemical processes, while the use of coal as a fuel produces brown hydrogen.