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Iraq to issue first licence for blue ammonia plant

By Pramod Kumar
Architecture, Building, Factory Unsplash.com/Maksym Kaharlytskyi
The approval comes after Iraq's oil ministry confirmed gas supply of necessary to operate the blue ammonia plant

Iraq will soon issue a license to build its first blue ammonia plant, in an attempt to cut the country’s carbon footprint.

The National Investment Commission (NIC), which is entrusted with drawing foreign investments in the country, is working on completing the requirements to grant an investment license for the plant in the Basra region, the state-run Iraq News Agency reported, quoting NIC spokesperson Hanan Jassim. 

The oil ministry has confirmed the necessary gas supply to operate the plant, she said.

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However, further details on the project were not given.

In May, Iraq launched its first five-year climate investment plan, designed to attract investments and foster a safe and secure environment for foreign and local investors.

In February, Iraq’s oil minister, Hayan Abdel Ghani, unveiled plans for a green hydrogen project for the South Refineries Company, including a 130 megawatt solar energy plant.

Opec’s second-largest crude oil producer after Saudi Arabia, Iraq intends to generate around 10 gigawatts of green power by 2025. This would amount to a third of its electricity mix.

In July, Saudi Arabia’s energy ministry approved feedstock for Sabic Agri-Nutrients’ new blue ammonia plant.

The facility in Jubail Industrial City will produce 1.2 million metric tonnes per annum (mmtpa) of low-carbon blue ammonia and 1.1 mmtpa of urea and specialised agri-nutrients.

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.

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