Fertilizer Industrial Services Ltd aims to restart fertilizer production in Romania using gas from the Neptune Deep project. Additionally, the company is in direct negotiations with a potential buyer interested in investing to restart fertilizer production and to produce blue ammonia in the country, as well as green ammonia in the future, using electricity from solar panels, according to Dan Cojocaru, Director of Fertilizer Industrial Services Ltd.
“We believe Romania has great potential to develop blue ammonia projects in the future. Several fertilizer plants are currently under preservation and available for sale, including one in the southern part of Romania. We are in direct negotiations with a potential buyer who is looking to invest in restarting fertilizer production and producing both blue and green ammonia using electricity from solar panels,” he said, at the conference “International Approach: Catalyzing Romania’s energy future”, organised by Energynomics in London.
He also mentioned a study called Getica, which mapped depleted underground natural gas reservoirs. Romania has been extracting oil since the mid-18th century, leading to many depleted reservoirs that are readily available for CO₂ injection. The company’s vision is to restart fertilizer production in Romania using gas from the Black Sea’s Neptune Deep natural gas project, combined with a blue ammonia production facility. This could provide a strategic advantage for Romania, positioning it as a key supplier for the European market, where major players like Uniper are looking to import from the U.S. In the past five years, the company has received increasing inquiries from energy companies about blue ammonia.
“We see a growing trend in blue ammonia production. To define it briefly, blue ammonia is conventional ammonia derived from natural gas, where the CO₂ is captured and stored in underground deposits. Blue ammonia is expected to become the new fuel for the maritime industry,” Cojocaru explained.
Currently, global ammonia production stands at about 184 million tons. If blue ammonia becomes an energy carrier for the shipping industry, production could triple. Additionally, blue ammonia is expected to be used in power plants, particularly as Japan and South Korea explore this option, as well as a hydrogen carrier for the European market. Most blue ammonia projects today are concentrated in the Gulf of Mexico due to the availability of depleted underground natural gas reservoirs.
Fertilizer Industrial Services Ltd also operates the only dedicated training platform for the fertilizer industry, called Fertilizer Academy. Through this initiative, the company aims to train new operators in fertilizer, ammonia, urea, and blue ammonia production, equipping them with the necessary skills to operate these plants.
The conference “International Approach: Catalyzing Romania’s energy future” was organised by Energynomics in London with the support of our partners AJ Brand, Elektra Renewable Support, Adrem Asset Management, Enexus, Nofar Energy, Parapet, Wiren.