UPDATED 1 Sept: The EI library in London is temporarily closed to the public, as a precautionary measure in light of the ongoing COVID-19 situation. The Knowledge Service will still be answering email queries via email , or via live chats during working hours (09:15-17:00 GMT). Our e-library is always open for members here: eLibrary , for full-text access to over 200 e-books and millions of articles. Thank you for your patience.
New Energy World™
New Energy World™ embraces the whole energy industry as it connects and converges to address the decarbonisation challenge. It covers progress being made across the industry, from the dynamics under way to reduce emissions in oil and gas, through improvements to the efficiency of energy conversion and use, to cutting-edge initiatives in renewable and low-carbon technologies.
World’s largest green ammonia plant powered by off-grid renewables comes online in China
23/7/2025
News
Envision has officially commissioned what it says is the world’s largest and most advanced green hydrogen and ammonia production facility to be powered entirely by an off-grid wind and solar-based energy system. Located in Chifeng, in south-eastern Inner Mongolia, China, the plant is currently delivering 320,000 t/y of green ammonia, with exports due to start in 4Q2025.
The facility, which is based in the Chifeng Net Zero Industrial Park, is also the first of its kind to be ‘fully AI-enabled, achieving real-time optimisation and stability at scale’, according to Envision.
The system features ‘advanced wind turbines, grid-forming battery storage and predictive meteorological modelling’, states the company, although without revealing details. This allows the plant to ‘dynamically balance wind and solar input with electrolyser and ammonia synthesis demands, ensuring continuous, cost-effective green fuel production without grid reliance’.
The company aims to reach price parity with grey ammonia and methanol by 2028, ‘helping green fuels become truly competitive’. Grey ammonia is produced using hydrogen derived from natural gas through steam-methane reforming, a process that releases significant amounts of CO2. The Chifeng plant is expected to be producing 1.5mn t/y of green ammonia by 2028.
According to Envision, the project has already attracted global commercial interest, including a long-term offtake agreement (the amount unspecified) with Marubeni Corporation, one of Japan’s largest trading houses. Marubeni also recently signed an off-take agreement with ExxonMobil, to supply low-carbon ammonia to Japan’s Kobe power plant in support of Japan’s wider hydrogen strategy, as reported by New Energy World in May.
The Chifeng facility has just been awarded ISCC Plus certification, ‘becoming the first project worldwide to receive the designation for green ammonia with a verified greenhouse gas footprint’, notes Envision. The plant has also been granted Bureau Veritas Renewable Ammonia Certification, which provides assurance that the hydrogen has been produced using renewable energy.
‘This is more than a technological milestone,’ comments Lei Zhang, Envision CEO. ‘Scalable, green alternatives are now real and operational. We can’t get to net zero without green hydrogen, and we can’t afford to wait. This is the blueprint for a clean energy future.’
