Uniper and thyssenkrupp Uhde Deepen Cooperation on Ammonia Cracking

The energy company Uniper and plant engineering specialist thyssenkrupp Uhde have signed a framework agreement on the use of large-scale ammonia-cracking plants. The agreement provides for the construction and operation of up to six commercial units with a combined daily capacity of 7,200 tonnes of ammonia.

Ammonia is considered a transport and storage medium for hydrogen. During reconversion (“cracking”), hydrogen and nitrogen are separated catalytically. This enables imported ammonia to be brought ashore and converted into hydrogen on site. Cracking is expected to become a key element of a sustainable, Europe-wide hydrogen infrastructure.

The framework agreement includes license packages for technology, engineering, equipment and catalysts, and foresees the construction of large-scale plants, among other locations, at the planned hydrogen import terminal in Wilhelmshaven. The project is currently in the pre-FEED phase (Front-End Engineering and Design). This stage serves to refine the plant concepts and assess technical and economic feasibility. The FEED phase is scheduled to begin at the end of next year.

The agreement builds on a cooperation launched in 2025, under which both companies plan to construct a demonstration plant for ammonia cracking at Uniper’s power plant site in Gelsenkirchen-Scholven. Around 28 tonnes of ammonia are to be converted there each day.

The aim of the cooperation is to make hydrogen produced from renewable energy sources available on an industrial scale using existing ammonia trading and logistics structures. This would enable hydrogen to be supplied in large volumes to energy-intensive industries — such as steel and chemicals — contributing to their decarbonization efforts.