Ammonia
Market moving insight on clean and conventional ammonia – delivering robust price assessments, actionable commentary, powerful data, vital analysis and outlooks
Overview
The ammonia market is undergoing a period of rapid and dramatic change. Conventional or ‘grey’ ammonia is traditionally produced almost exclusively for its nitrogen content. However, the urgent need to decarbonise the global economy and meet ambitious zero-carbon goals has opened up exciting new opportunities.
Ammonia has the potential to be the most cost-effective and practical ‘zero-carbon’ energy carrier in the form of hydrogen to the energy and fuels sectors. This has led to rapid growth of interest in clean ammonia and a flurry of new ‘green’ and ‘blue’ ammonia projects.
Argus has many decades of experience covering the ammonia market. We incorporate our multi-commodity market expertise in energy, marine fuels, the transition to net zero and hydrogen to provide existing market participants and new entrants with the full market narrative.
Our industry-leading price assessments, powerful data, vital analysis and robust outlooks will support you through:
- Ammonia price assessments (daily and weekly), some of which are basis for Argus ammonia futures contracts, Ammonia forward curve data and clean ammonia cost assessments and modelled weekly prices
- Short and medium to long-term forecasting, modelling and analysis of conventional and clean ammonia prices, supply, demand, trade and projects
- Bespoke consulting project support
Latest ammonia news
Browse the latest market moving news on the global ammonia industry.
Kanadevia, Nippon Steel Engineering to explore merger
Kanadevia, Nippon Steel Engineering to explore merger
Tokyo, 5 February (Argus) — Japanese engineering companies Kanadevia and Nippon Steel Engineering agreed to explore merging their businesses to meet future demand growth for waste management and waste-to-energy plants. Kanadevia and Nippon Steel's wholly owned subsidiary Nippon Steel Engineering signed the initial agreement on 5 February to explore a possible merger by April 2027. The companies aim to finalise their decision by November 2026. Kanadevia and Nippon Steel Engineering expect demand for waste management plants in Japan to grow because of the many domestic plants that are ageing, which will require renewal. The companies also forecast a rise in demand for waste-to-energy plants overseas — especially in growing markets like north America and southeast Asia — given the drive towards decarbonisation. Kanadevia has expanded its decarbonisation businesses, including to waste-to-energy plants and hydrogen- and ammonia-related products. Kanadevia's Switzerland-based green technology subsidiary Kanadevia Inova added 11 UK biogas plants to its portfolio after buying low-carbon asset management firm Iona Capital. Kanadevia plans to start commercial operations of its plant, which will produce polymer-electrolyte-membrane water electrolyser stacks , in the April 2028-March 2029 fiscal year. It also plans to invest in building production facilities for ammonia-fuelled ship engines , aiming to begin operations in 2028-29. Kanadevia will sell 25pc of its stake in its subsidiary Hitachi Zosen Marine Engine by the end of March 2026. Kanadevia expects to own 40pc, while Japan's major shipbuilder Imabari Shipbuilding will raise its share from 35pc to 60pc after the sale. The move is intended to speed up the development of ammonia-fuelled ship engines by allowing Imabari Shipbuilding to lead the project. By Nanami Oki Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Slow UN carbon market advance on removals
Slow UN carbon market advance on removals
Berlin, 2 February (Argus) — The emerging UN carbon market under Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement, Pacm, saw slow progress last week on draft rules for carbon removals accounting, as experts tasked with working on new Pacm methodologies convened at the UN climate arm's headquarters in Bonn, Germany. The panel made some decisions on the so-called reversal assessment tool, which aims to determine the number of Pacm credits to contribute to the market's reversal risk buffer account, acting as a form of insurance for removal projects. The tool will help calculate individual risk factors, combined risks and the reduction in reversal risk factors, based on any remediation measures implemented by activity proponents. A buffer factor, expressed as a percentage of credited carbon, would then be calculated, depending on the choices made by project proponents. The higher the percentage, the more credits must be set aside for an activity. The panel will also determine specific activity risks, with an initial focus on forest carbon storage, geological carbon storage and biochar. These are not only the most prevalent removal activities in the carbon market, but also dominate those transitioning from Pacm's precursor, the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). The panel and the Article 6.4 supervisory body were tasked by countries at the UN Cop 30 climate summit in Brazil in November with prioritising CDM transitions . The panel will consider other types of removal activities at a later stage. More progress was made last week on the draft rules for renewable electricity generation, on which the panel released a draft methodology for supervisory body approval. It would become the second approved Pacm methodology, if adopted. The first methodology for generating carbon credits, on flaring or use of landfill gas, is regarded as substantially stricter than its CDM predecessor. Pacm's downward adjustment factor ensures that baseline emissions decline more significantly over time than under the CDM. South Korea-based carbon project developer Ecoeye said under the Pacm landfill gas methodology, flaring-only projects carried out in host countries outside least developed countries are likely to experience a 52–76pc reduction in credited emission reductions, compared with CDM-based estimates, over a five-year period, while for electricity generation and heat production it projects a 34–42pc reduction. The potential third Pacm methodology to be adopted, on clean cooking, considers new submissions while carrying over some elements from an existing CDM methodology. Another methodology under consideration, on nitrous oxide abatement from nitric acid production, might also see a draft proposal at the next expert panel meeting in March. Six new Pacm methodologies in total are under consideration. The latest entry is on fertiliser production with renewables-based ammonia, for which a call for public input closed on 27 January. The panel is considering merging this methodology — the development of which was financed by the Germany-supported International Hydrogen Ramp-Up Programme — with another for ammonia production through electrolysis. By Chloe Jardine Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Norway’s North Ammonia halts green ammonia project
Norway’s North Ammonia halts green ammonia project
London, 21 January (Argus) — Norwegian developer North Ammonia has suspended work on its planned renewable ammonia project in Eydehavn, Arendal, citing a lack of sufficient political backing. The decision pauses development of what had been the company's flagship scheme. North Ammonia had targeted a 2025 final investment decision for the 150,000 t/yr plant and aimed to start operations in 2028. The project was planned at the port of Eydehavn, where the firm secured 171MW of grid capacity and a long-term land lease in 2024. It selected Technip Energies' Genesis unit to carry out initial engineering work. The company said it paused the Eydehavn project because of a "lack of political support", adding that large industrial projects require significant resources, strong local partnerships and broad political alignment. North Ammonia intended to supply renewable ammonia as marine fuel for Norway's shipping sector and for export to northern Europe. Shipping firm and shareholder Grieg Edge, with its planned distribution vessel MS Green Ammonia , was listed as a project partner. Other partners include the port of Arendal, and the company also has a supply-chain collaboration with Hoegh Evi, which is developing floating ammonia crackers. General manager Mikkel Torud said preparatory work completed will be used to support the firm's other early-stage projects along the Norwegian coast — Slagen Energy Hub and Fjord Base. North Ammonia was established in 2021 by shipping company Grieg Edge, part of Grieg Maritime Group. Swiss Life Asset Managers joined as a 50pc partner in 2024. By Chingis Idrissov Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Ammonia Europe opposes tariff removal, CBAM weakening
Ammonia Europe opposes tariff removal, CBAM weakening
London, 21 January (Argus) — Industry body Ammonia Europe has denounced the European Commission's proposal to remove most-favoured nation (MFN) import tariffs on ammonia to mitigate the impact of the EU's carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) on fertilizers. The EU announced plans to suspend standard import tariffs on ammonia and urea following a meeting of EU agriculture ministers on 7 January, with extensions to other fertilizer products not ruled out. At the same time, the commission's reference to Article 27a created a backlash of confusion around whether CBAM could be suspended for fertilizers. In reality, Article 27a could allow for a temporary and retroactive suspension of CBAM in cases where it has caused "severe harm to the union internal market due to serious and unforeseen circumstances related to the impact on the prices of goods". The clause was included within CBAM amendment proposals issued last month but still needs to be formally approved by both the European Parliament and the Council of the EU. Ammonia Europe is calling on policy makers to "reject short-term fixes which fail to address the root causes of Europe's competitiveness crisis". The industry body highlighted that solutions need to address Europe's energy cost crisis and ensure effective carbon leakage protection. In its 7 January statement, the commission highlighted that fertilizer prices remain 60pc above their 2020 average. But this figure fails to recognise that feedstock natural gas prices have not returned to 2020 levels. European benchmark gas prices averaged $3.20/mn Btu on the front month contract in 2020. The same contract was assessed at $12.50/mn Btu on 19 January. "Removing MFN tariffs does nothing to address this structural issue but rewards imports produced with cheaper energy and greater carbon intensity, ultimately further weakening the EU's industrial base," the statement said. Ammonia is not limited to use in fertilizers. Applications also include pharmaceuticals, plastics, resins, glues, explosives and novel uses within the energy transition, which are all caused further injury by the tariff removal, the industry body said. The commission in July named ammonia as one of a few "critical" chemicals to the EU economy, which require additional support under its own Critical Chemicals Alliance. But removing import tariffs undermines efforts to address capacity closure risks in the chemical sector, and to ensure fair competition with non-EU producers who do not face equivalent carbon costs to those paid by European producers under the EU's emission trading scheme. "MFN tariffs have nothing to do with CBAM. It would be completely wrong to remove them," Ammonia Europe chief executive Stephen Jackson told Argus . "This approach doesn't address root causes and risks further exacerbating Europe's lack of competitiveness." Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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