A low-carbon fertiliser plant will be the first initiative by FertigHy, the consortium of companies formed at the end of June and whose goal is to lead the decarbonisation of the European fertiliser industry. The founders of FertigHy are Heineken, EIT InnoEnergy, RIC Energy, Maire, Siemens Financial Services and InVivo. The new brand aims to produce low-carbon fertilisers at affordable prices for European farmers.

Fertiliser has become a prominent food security challenge in the EU in the wake of the supply chain disruption and uncertainty associated with the natural gas supply. To help overcome this problem, FertigHy plans to build and operate several large-scale, low-carbon fertiliser projects in Europe.

Renewable electricity and green hydrogen
Coinciding with the announcement of the company’s creation, Spain was chosen as the location for its first plant. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2025. It will have the capacity to produce over one million metric tonnes per year of low-carbon nitrogen fertiliser, using renewable electricity and green hydrogen.

The CEO of FertigHy will be José Antonio de las Heras, who has extensive experience in the fields of green hydrogen, renewable energy and natural gas. In his words, “It has never been more urgent to decarbonise and collectively bring back our fertiliser production. With too many factors at stake in Europe in 2023, now is the time to establish a more sustainable and self-sufficient industry for all. FertigHy will rebuild resilience in disrupted supply chains while promoting self-reliance and security of supply in the agricultural industry by accelerating the decarbonisation of the food sector.”

Competitiveness of the industry
The Managing Director of the European Green Hydrogen Acceleration Centre (EGHAC), Jacob Ruiter, said that “FertigHy’s ambitions are 100% aligned with the EU “Fit for 55” package, the recent REPowerEU Industrial Plan and the European Green Deal, demonstrating our ability to boost the competitiveness of net-zero-emission industry in Europe. This investment is a further sign of EIT InnoEnergy’s commitment to sectors with difficult-to-manage carbon emissions, as well as an indicator of our success with the EGHAC initiative.”

According to data from FertigHy, agriculture is responsible for 13% of the EU’s total greenhouse gas emissions. The use of nitrogen fertilisers is a critical component for this sector, which currently uses 11 million tonnes per year in Europe. FertigHy states that it will expand its operations on the continent to help reduce emissions by up to two million tonnes of CO₂ per plant per year.

^{Photo: Heineken}