The CF Industries fertilizer plant in seen in early March. On Tuesday the company released its "sustainability report" outlining a commitment made last fall to promote hydrogen and cleaner ammonia as a low-emission fuel.--News photo Collin Gallant
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
CF Industries has a new logo to go along with a stated new direction toward net-zero fertilizer and ammonia production.
The Illinois-based firm that operates the largest fertilizer production facility in Canadian in northeast Medicine Hat released its 2020 sustainability report.
“We will decarbonize our network and aggressively scale our ability to produce green and blue ammonia, positioning CF Industries at the forefront of clean hydrogen and ammonia supply,” reads an opening statement from CEO Tony Will.
Last fall the company announced it would work to position itself as a major global supplier of green ammonia, produced from water using renewable energy, and use its vast logistics network to service growing demand for hydrogen as a non-carbon emitting fuel source.
The report reiterates the company’s goal of reducing carbon dioxide from production by one-quarter by 2030 and be net-zero by 2050.
CF will spend 2021 evaluating and prioritizing projects across its global production network. It has nine world-class production facilities in Canada, the United States and United Kingdom.
It will also seek out partnerships and promote the use of hydrogen, a main component of ammonia, as a fuel in utilities and transportation.
Last fall, the company approved spending US$400 million at its Donaldsonville, La., facility to produce “green ammonia.”
In Medicine Hat, steam reforming separates natural gas into carbon and hydrogen, then combined with nitrogen, produces ammonia and carbon dioxide.
Across all facilities, CF produced 17.9 million tonnes of CO2 in 2020, down from 18.4 million tonnes, while increasing fertilizer production, according to the report.
Industry observers say “blue ammonia” combined with carbon sequestration, will be needed in the mid-term to support the hydrogen market while meeting environmental goals.
The Alberta government is expected to release a more detailed hydrogen strategy this spring.
The logo update, featuring turbine blades, is the third recognizable logo for the facility that’s operated in Medicine Hat for decades.
The Canadian Fertilizers complex was acquired by CF Industries in 2013, the latter company named for its founding as the Central Farmers Fertilizer Company, a co-operative farm supplier in the U.S. Midwest.
