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CF Industries details Donaldsonville decarbonization plans, CCS start-up and green hydrogen pilot
Summary
CF Industries told the Clean Hydrogen Task Force on Feb. 11 that it is pursuing carbon capture at its Donaldsonville ammonia complex, testing electrolytic hydrogen at pilot scale and evaluating a greenfield low‑carbon ammonia project at Riverplex Megapark in Ascension Parish, with a final investment decision expected later this quarter.
Ryan Stiles, ammonia production manager at CF Industries’ Donaldsonville complex, told the Clean Hydrogen Task Force on Feb. 11 that the company is pursuing multiple pathways to lower greenhouse‑gas emissions across its U.S. operations.
Stiles said CF currently produces more than 1,700,000 metric tons of hydrogen annually across its fleet, with roughly half of that output coming from Louisiana manufacturing sites. He described Donaldsonville as the company’s largest nitrogen manufacturing complex, with six ammonia units and the single largest ammonia unit in global operation. CF operates multiple logistics channels — pipeline, barge, rail and truck — and holds large storage capacity, Stiles said.
The company is pursuing two parallel strategies, Stiles said: decarbonize existing assets through carbon capture, and develop new low‑carbon hydrogen/ammonia production. CF expects the carbon‑compression and dehydration unit under construction at Donaldsonville to begin commissioning this year; when operational it will enable permanent sequestration of up to about 2,000,000 tons of CO2 annually, Stiles said, which he equated to the emissions of roughly 400,000 vehicles.
Stiles described several technology options under study for low‑carbon hydrogen production, including steam methane reforming (SMR) combined with carbon capture, SMR plus flue gas capture, and autothermal reforming (ATR). He said feed studies for those pathways are complete and the company is nearing a final decision on which technology to use for its next project. CF has also completed a pilot design for an electrolytic (renewable‑powered) hydrogen project that would produce an estimated 20,000 tons of low‑carbon ammonia per year when operational; Stiles noted that this pilot is small compared with Donaldsonville’s current production scale.
On fuel and feedstock, Stiles said natural gas remains the primary feedstock and CF is procuring a portion of its gas as certified low‑carbon gas through a third party (MIQ) that audits methane emissions from production. On renewable electricity for electrolytic projects, he said CF has procured Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) that meet current IRS 45V requirements and will draw power from the grid rather than build on‑site generation for the pilot.
Task Force members asked about economics, safety and markets. Stiles said CF expects a market premium will develop for low‑carbon ammonia and that commercial offtake discussions are underway, including a demonstration with POET to validate low‑carbon fertilizer in the corn value chain. On maritime use of ammonia, Stiles said CF is not operating marine fuel projects but provides technical and safety expertise to partners exploring ammonia as a shipping fuel.
Stiles also reiterated CF’s company targets: a 25% reduction in Scope 1 emissions and a 10% reduction in Scope 3 emissions by 2030, and a longer‑term target of net‑zero by 2050. He said the company began a formal decarbonization strategy in 2020 and is evaluating additional greenfield opportunities; CF in 2022 purchased nearly 1,000 acres on the West Bank of Ascension Parish in the Riverplex Megapark and expects to make a joint final investment decision on a low‑carbon ammonia project later this quarter.
Task Force members commended the presentation and asked for additional detail on REC procurement, the exact location of the electrolytic unit (Stiles confirmed it will be on site at Donaldsonville) and the treatment of downstream transport and reconversion. Stiles clarified that life‑cycle emissions for the 45V clean hydrogen credit are measured “well‑to‑gate” (through hydrogen production and preparation for sale or use) and do not count emissions from reconversion or downstream transport after the hydrogen has been placed into a salable/useable state.
CF’s presentation closed with an invitation for follow‑up information on specific procurement agreements and project details.
Ending
Stiles said CF will provide additional details to the Task Force on REC sourcing and other procurement specifics on request; Task Force members asked LDNR staff to collect survey responses on members’ interests for future meetings.
