Oil firms back Rotterdam ammonia cracker project

Group of 18 companies join initiative to study deployment of large-scale central facility at Dutch port

Eighteen companies—including big oil firms Saudi Aramco, ExxonMobil, Shell and BP—have joined an initiative to study the feasibility of developing a large-scale ammonia cracker at the Port of Rotterdam. The companies have commissioned US engineering company Fluor to study the possible deployment of a central cracker in the port area to convert imported ammonia back into 1mn t/yr of hydrogen. “Europe will need large quantities of hydrogen to meet its climate targets, and a significant part of this can be imported through the Port of Rotterdam,” says Allard Castelein, CEO of port manager the Port of Rotterdam Authority. 1mn t/yr – Potential hydrogen output of cracker “Ammonia is one of