ACME Group to Supply Green Ammonia to Japan's IHI Corp

New Delhi, Jan 23 (PTI) Indian renewable energy firm ACME Group has signed an agreement with Japanese heavy industry major IHI Corporation to supply green ammonia to Japan.

The term sheet was signed by Acme Group founder and Chairman Manoj Upadhyay and IHI Corporation president and CEO Hiroshi Ide in the presence of Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy RK Singh and Ambassador of Japan to India Hiroshi Suzuki, the ministry said a statement.

ACME Group, a leading renewable energy company in India, and IHI Corporation, a Japanese integrated heavy industry group, signed an offtake term sheet for the supply of green ammonia from Odisha, India, to Japan, according to the statement.

The term sheet between IHI and Acme covers the supply of 0.4 MMTPA (million metric tons per annum) of green ammonia from Phase-1 of the Odisha project in Gopalpur on a long-term basis.

Both companies wish to partner across the value chain, starting from production to logistics, supply to the Japanese customers and create a market for green ammonia for use in a range of applications in power generation and various industrial uses in Japan to reduce the overall emissions.

Speaking on the occasion, Singh said this is one of the first and largest agreements in the world in the field of green hydrogen and green ammonia.

"Japan has been a close friend and partner of India. This collaboration in renewable energy in going green will further strengthen our partnership. India's cost of making green hydrogen and green ammonia is already among the most competitive in the world. We are going to emerge as one of the largest manufacturers of green hydrogen and green ammonia in the world," he added.

The minister underlined the strategic importance of the partnership between India and Japan.

"Our partnership with Japan is strategic; it will grow stronger. Japan and other developed countries have huge requirements for green hydrogen and green ammonia, which India shall be able to supply at most competitive rates."

Singh said that the agreement marks a landmark occasion, ushering in a new world.

Suzuki said that the signing of the term sheet marks a major milestone.

"The partnership between Acme and IHI will bring remarkable success, given the potential of globally competitive green hydrogen in India. I express the Government of Japan's unwavering support in taking forward the collaboration between India and Japan in the energy sector," he added.

The ambassador said that the India-Japan Clean Energy Partnership, established by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, has been driving the cooperation between the two countries.

The ambassador also requested the minister for early signing of the Green Hydrogen and Green Ammonia Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI), involving the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Government of Japan, and Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India.

Acme Group president and Director Ashwani Dudeja said, "India is well positioned to develop the renewable resources and produce competitive green molecules for export as well as domestic consumption in applications which are otherwise difficult to decarbonise".

He also emphasised the need for support from the Indian government and the Odisha government in developing the green ammonia project at Gopalpur.

IHI Corporation Director and Managing Executive Officer Jun Kobayashi said, "This agreement builds upon our earlier MoU with ACME and represents the strong relationship and alignment between the two companies in developing the market for this new generation fuel".

The green hydrogen and ammonia project at Gopalpur, Odisha, is being developed by ACME with a planned capacity of 1.2 MMTPA to be developed in phases; and the first production is likely within 2027.

Over its life cycle, the project will help reduce global GHG emissions by 54 million tons of CO2 equivalent.