US ammonia power start-up Amogy has set up shop in Singapore in a move designed to allow it to expand its strategic maritime and power generation presence in Asia.
Svein Erik Oeiestad has been appointed head of business development and sales in the region, the Boston-based company said.
“With our sights set on reducing overall global carbon emissions, we’re thrilled to expand our presence in Asia,” said Amogy co-founder and chief executive Seonghoon Woo.
“Singapore is a major player in the international shipping industry, and we’re excited to be more closely involved in the progress being made around clean energy adoption here.”
Amogy said ammonia power generation is currently being explored by several countries in Asia in a bid to reduce carbon emissions and support energy security initiatives.
South Korea has a goal to commercialise ammonia-fuelled power generation by 2030 and India’s state-owned Oil & Natural Gas Corp recently announced the development of an ammonia production and storage facility of one million tonnes per annum.
Meanwhile, last year saw the Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the Singapore Energy Market Authority (EMA) launch an expression of interest (EOI) process to build, own and operate low or zero-carbon power generation and bunkering projects on Jurong Island.
In addition, Amogy has an existing partnership with Singapore Exchange-listed offshore vessel operator Marco Polo Marine.
State-backed Singapore investor Temasek and local ship manager Synergy Marine Group were also investors in Amogy’s recent $150m Series B funding round.
“We’re encouraged by recent regulatory efforts in Singapore and the exploration of ammonia as a source of power,” said Oeiestad.
“We share the MPA and EMA’s belief in ammonia as an efficient hydrogen carrier and look forward to partnering with the government and private sector in order to make clean ammonia power a reality for maritime shipping and power generation.”
In late June 2023, Amogy announced that a mystery Norwegian shipowner was set to provide the first seagoing vessel installation for its new ammonia-to-power hybrid fuel cell system.
The newbuilding will be outfitted with a total of 800 kW of Amogy powerpacks, which will provide the primary power for the vessel and zero-emission operations.
Amogy’s ammonia-to-power technology feeds liquid ammonia through its cracking modules integrated into a hybrid fuel cell system, which powers the electric motors.
The company is already working with US tug and barge owner Southern Devall to install its technology on a vessel as part of a demonstration of its operational benefits and scalability.
Amogy was founded in 2020 by four Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni.
