CF Industries plans to invest $198.5 million to construct a CO2 compression and dehydration unit at its Ascension Parish plant in an effort to reduce carbon emissions at what it says is the largest ammonia production facility in the world.
The project would create 12 new direct jobs with average salaries of $100,000 per year plus benefits. CF Industries would retain 521 existing jobs in the Capital Region.
“To achieve our goal of net zero emissions by 2050, Louisiana must simultaneously increase new clean energy investments and decrease current greenhouse gas emissions,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said. “CF Industries’ plan to add carbon capture capabilities to its Donaldsonville plant accomplishes that, while stimulating economic activity and creating high-paying jobs in Ascension Parish. We applaud the company’s commitment to sustainability and encourage other industry leaders to recognize that decarbonization is good for both our economy and our climate.”
CF Industries estimates this project would enable up to 6,000 tons of process CO2 per day – as much as 2 million tons per year – to be captured, liquefied and transported via pipeline to a sequestration site yet to be determined. This process would enable the company to produce up to 1.7 million tons of blue ammonia annually. A chemical process is considered “blue” when CO2 emissions are captured before its released into the air, making the process more carbon-neutral. Blue ammonia is seen as a key clean energy source for the energy transition since its components – nitrogen and hydrogen – do not emit carbon when combusted.
Courtesy of CF Industries.