EAH co-hosts Alicia Eastman and Patrick Molloy sat down with Karen Baert, the CEO and co-founder of Ammobia to learn about their high-efficiency innovation of the ammonia production process. We also discussed the role of ammonia and the challenges that clean tech innovators face.

About Karen Baert:

Karen has extensive experience across the sector having completed her Bachelors in Mechanical and Chemical Engineering in Brussels, Master in renewable energy at the Technical University Berlin, and MBA at Stanford University. Karen spent several years at Bain & Co., and worked with Breakthrough Energy Ventures, as well as Stanford GSB Impact fund, before co-founding Ammobia. Karen and her Co-founder and CTO are taking on the 100 year-old Haber Bosch process by developing their own reactor which offers potential for improved efficiencies in ammonia production with less emissions and lower capex.

About Ammobia:

Ammobia is developing Haber Bosch 2.0 - an innovative low cost, flexible process for clean ammonia production from clean hydrogen and air. They leverage the latest advances in materials science and catalysis to produce clean ammonia at low cost. Their processes and systems work across production scales and modes and they expect:

- to require one third the capex

- ⁠increased safety & flexibility (running directly on renewables)

- ⁠80-90% lower emissions

- ⁠10x reduction in pressure

- ⁠150°C reduction in temperature

US-based Ammobia closed an oversubscribed, US$4.2 million funding round in April. Led by Starlight Ventures and including Collaborative Fund, Chevron Technology Ventures, Arosa Capital, Zero Infinity Partners, R7, DNX Ventures and Plug and Play Tech Center, the funds will support a 1000x scale-up of Ammobia’s next-generation synthesis technology.

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Links:

https://www.ammobia.co/

https://ammoniaenergy.org/articles/funding-for-ammonia-energy-startups-in-2024/

https://www.axios.com/pro/climate-deals/2024/04/03/ammobia-funding-green-ammonia

EAH co-hosts Alicia Eastman and Patrick Molloy sat down with Amy Hebert, the CEO of Arcadia eFuels and learned more about Arcadia goals to produce future fuels that protect our environment and power the world. Learn more about Arcadia projects in Denmark, the United Kingdom and the United States as well as Project SkyPower, which Amy co-Chairs, paving the way for the first large-scale eSAF plants in Europe to reach Final Investment Decision by the end of 2025.

About Amy Hebert:

Amy Hebert has more than 25 years of global industry experience and 12 years in executive leadership focused on the refining, chemical and polymer markets. She has expertise in all aspects of business management including developing and executing long term business strategy while managing overall financial wellbeing; managing joint ventures, new plant construction, and plant expansions from idea, through design and startup. Most recently, she was Deputy CEO and Chief Commercial Officer for Haldor Topsoe, and prior to that Vice President Europe with Celanese and Global Vice President Catalysts at Albemarle.

Amy holds a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. Amy is also a supervisory board member, nomination and audit committee member of specialty chemicals player IMCD (formerly International-Müller Chemical Distribution).

About Arcadia eFuels:

Arcadia eFuels is creating net zero carbon fuels that use existing infrastructure and work in existing engines. Arcadia leverages proven technology in a novel way to meet the significantly outpaced market demand.

Arcadia intends to build multiple plants that will each produce 80,000 tons (100 million liters or 28 million gallons) of eFuels per year.

Specifically, Arcadia will produce eDiesel and electro sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF) to power the hard to abate long haul transportation sectors such as aviation and shipping.

Beginning with renewable electricity, Arcadia will make green hydrogen, then combine carbon dioxide from direct air capture and/or other biogenic carbon sources to produce syngas. Further processing produces carbon neutral eFuels such as eSaf, eDiesel, eNaptha, and LPG.

The carbon neutral eFuels can be used by existing cars, trucks, ships, and airplanes as a complete replacement for fossil fuels.

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Links:

www.arcadiaefuels.com

www.project-skypower.org

This week on EAH we have the CEO of C2X. Producing green fuels is no easy business, and among the many challenges, finding that elusive offtake often ranks high on the investor concern list. But C2X is a little different. Backed by A.P. Moller Holdings, the company has a unique understanding of how to find compelling commercial propositions for customers.

C2X is also a leader in the development of new large scale green methanol projects. Starting with their flagship project in Louisiana, the company looks to develop projects with both biofuel based green methanol and e-methanol derived from electrolysis and biogenic CO2. This provides a unique perspective on both old and new technologies for green fuel production, and how to close the gap.

As our first EAH episode dedicated to green methanol (and its role in fuels like SAF), we couldn’t have found someone better!

About Brian Davis:

Before joining C2X as CEO in July 2023, Brian enjoyed a 32-year international career at Shell including assignments as SVP of Global Energy Solutions, Head of Corporate Strategy for the Shell Group and SVP of Shell Chemicals. After leaving Shell he served as EVP and Chief Commercial Officer for Marathon Petroleum Corporation based in San Antonio, Texas. More recently, he was a senior advisor to multiple companies around the world focused on scaling up solutions to accelerate the energy transition.

Brian earned a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Sydney, Australia. He has lived and worked in Australia, the UK, the USA, Turkey, The Netherlands, and Barbados.

About C2X:

C2X focuses on scaling up the production of affordable green methanol to facilitate transition to use of renewable fuels and renewable chemicals across multiple industries.

Links:

C2X - www.c2xglobal.com

Maersk - www.maersk.com

A.P. Moller Holdings - www.apmoller.com

In light of exciting positive policy developments in Australia and the impact on domestic and export sales of green electrons, hydrogen, and ammonia; the EAH team speaks with Isaac Hinton, Head of Australia for InterContinental Energy (ICE), a global pioneer in large-scale green hydrogen development. Isaac unpacks the ‘Future Made in Australia Act’, other Federal and Statewide government initiatives and their impact on the green hydrogen industry. He delved into the positive ramifications for InterContinental Energy projects in Western Australia (WGEH and AREH), and overall Company leadership, partnership and activities intended to truly move the decarbonization needle.

About Isaac Hinton:

Isaac is the Head of Australia for InterContinental Energy, a global pioneer in large-scale green hydrogen development, now in its 11th year with mega-projects in Western Australia and Oman.

Isaac oversees the Company's strategic initiatives, activities, and partnerships in Australia, supporting long-term growth and project implementation. Isaac also chairs the consortia developing the Western Green Energy Hub (WGEH) and the Australian Renewable Energy Hub (AREH).

With a career spanning two decades in energy and resources, including over a decade at BHP in various senior roles across Sales, Procurement, Finance and Operations; coupled with his leadership in key Australian green energy initiatives, Isaac brings a wealth of expertise and insight to the renewable energy landscape.

About InterContinental Energy:

InterContinental Energy (‘ICE’) is an industry leader, with three flagship projects attracting partnerships from energy giants such as Shell, bp, and KEPCO. The company's innovative approach has gained support from major institutional investors such as one of the largest sovereign wealth funds GIC of Singapore, and the largest hydrogen only fund, Hy24. Beyond project development, it has emerged as a leading technology provider through its patented Power to Hydrogen nodal innovation, P2(H₂)NodeTM.

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Links:

Intercontinental Energy

https://www.intercontinentalenergy.com

EPA Release

https://intercontinentalenergy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/20241125-EPA-media-release-FINAL.-Header.pdf

Western Green Energy Hub

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Green_Energy_Hub

Back by popular demand, Christopher Jackson, Alicia Eastman, and Patrick Molloy speak about the industry highlights and lowlights, expectations for 2025 and what we can do to improve outcomes across the board. Equal parts sweepingly generalist and mind numbing minutiae create the perfect pundit cocktail. Wallow in the bad news and celebrate the bright sides together!

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Links:

https://www.eahpod.com

The EAH team discuss Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), chemicals, plastics and the route to hydrogen at scale with Andrew Symes of OXCCU.

About Andrew Symes:

Climate Tech investor and entrepreneur Andrew Symes is focused on net zero technologies. He helped spin out the company and led the first investment round from IP Group in 2021 before joining as CEO in 2022. He was previously Investment Director at IP Group (now Kiko Ventures), an Associate at BP Ventures, and held commercial roles in the BP commodity trading business.

Andrew has a first-class Masters degree in Chemistry from the University of Oxford.

About OXCCU:

OXCCU combines CO2 with H2 and renewable electricity to create sustainable fuels and materials such as Electrolytic Sustainable Aviation Fuel (eSAF), chemicals and plastics.

They have developed cutting-edge technological processes and catalysts that could revolutionise the way we produce fuels, chemicals, and biodegradable plastics. They combine CO2 from a variety of sustainable sources with H2 and renewable electricity, resulting in a sustainable and environmentally-friendly energy solution.

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Links:

OXCCU

https://www.oxccu.com/about

The EAH team sits down with power pioneer Marco Dell’Aquila, Patient Zero of the hydrogen bug. Under his tutelage, Andrew Leedom, Patrick Molloy and Chris Jackson were motivated to launch their successful and rewarding careers in hydrogen. Alicia Eastman has also found inspiration and an excellent lunch time raconteur.

About Marco Dell’Aquila:

Marco is an investor, adviser, developer, author and professor with nearly 35 years experience in the energy sector. He is currently the Chief Investment Officer at Protium and he co-founded and chairs Power Capital. Marco is also a Senior Adjunct Professor of Energy, Resources and Environment at the Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies and the co-founder of Inspiratia.

He co-founded Infrastructure Journal (now IJ Global) in 1997. In the 1990s, he was an Executive Director of General Electric Capital’s projects group based in London, developing and investing in energy projects in the EMEA region.

Professor Dell'Aquila has taught at SAIS since 2011 and is a member of the SAIS Europe Advisory Council. As Chairman of inspiratia and previously IJGlobal, Dell’Aquila has spent 25 years as an author and commentator on the evolution of energy and infrastructure markets, as well as regulation and emerging technologies to combat climate change. He has also advised on numerous energy transactions around the world spanning virtually all forms of cleantech and renewables.

Marco has a BSc (Tech) in Civil and Structural Engineering from the University of Manchester and an MA in International Relations and Economics from SAIS.

About Power Capital

Power Capital is a financial advisory firm which has won mandates of corpus €13 billion since 1997.

About Inspiratia

UK based Energy and Infrastructure data & analysis provider.

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Links

Protium: https://protium.green/team/

Inspiratia: https://inspiratia.com/

SAIS: https://sais.jhu.edu/

Power Capital: https://www.powercapital.ie/

EAH spoke with Miguel, after a little over a year in the CEO post, to understand where the group is heading. He describes his plans for the Company and in particular, the DeCarbon Technologies Group, which is working with many important partners to accelerate emissions elimination innovation.

About Miguel López Borrego:

Miguel began his professional career in 1987 as a controller at VDO AG. He was subsequently CFO of VDO Instrumentos in Spain and the worldwide VDO Instrument Division. Within the Siemens Group, López was CFO of various business units of Siemens AG from 2001 – including the Industry Automation Division from 2008, the Digital Factory Division from 2014 and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy from 2017. In the years from 2018 to 2022, he was President & CEO of Siemens in Spain. During this period, he also performed the role of Non-executive Chairman of the Board of Directors at Siemens Gamesa. From 2022 to May 2023, he held the position of Chairman of the Board of NORMA, an automotive and industrial supplier. Since June 2023 he has been CEO of thyssenkrupp AG.

Miguel studied business administration at the Mannheim University of Cooperative Education. López also completed a global MBA program at the universities of Toronto (Canada), Erftstadt (Germany), Linz (Austria) and Shanghai (China).

About thyssenkrupp:

thyssenkrupp is an international industrial and technology company employing ~100,000 people. Across 48 countries it generated sales of €38 billion in fiscal 2022/2023. Since October 1, 2023, the business activities have been bundled into five segments: Automotive Technology, Decarbon Technologies, Materials Services, Steel Europe and Marine Systems. Backed by extensive technological know-how, the businesses develop cost-effective and resource-friendly solutions to the challenges of the future. Around 4,000 employees work in research and development at 75 locations all over the world, mainly in the fields of climate protection, the energy transition, digital transformation in the industry and mobility of the future. thyssenkrupp currently has a portfolio of approximately 14,630 patents and utility models. Under the thyssenkrupp umbrella brand the company creates long-term value with innovative products, technologies and services and contributes to a better life for future generations.

To this end, the company pursues ambitious climate protection targets and optimizes its own energy and climate efficiency. At the same time, it uses its diverse abilities along the relevant value chains to play a significant role in driving forward its customers’ green transformation. thyssenkrupp is listed in the MDAX index. thyssenkrupp shares are traded on Frankfurt Stock Exchange (symbol: TKA) and as American depositary receipts (symbol: TKAMY) in the USA.

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Links:

thyssenkrupp:

https:/www.thyssenkrupp.com/en/home

thyssenkrupp DeCarbon Technologies:

https://www.thyssenkrupp.com/en/company/corporate-structure/decarbon-technologies