Saudi Arabia’s Sabic Agri-Nutrients Company (Sabic AN) has sent its first commercial shipment of low-carbon ammonia to India, according to a statement released by the company.

Sabic AN, which is a public joint-stock company owned 50.1 per cent by Saudi Arabia's Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic), has sent 5,000 metric tons of low-carbon ammonia to Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO).

IFFCO is a multi-state cooperative society that is wholly owned by Cooperative Societies of India. The society is headquartered in New Delhi and is focused on both manufacturing and marketing fertilisers.

The shipment of low-carbon ammonia was dispatched from Jubail in Saudi Arabia and makes Sabic AN the first company to introduce low-carbon ammonia to the Indian fertiliser sector.

IFFCO, which will receive the shipment, becomes the first Indian company to use low-carbon ammonia for fertiliser production.

Abdulrahman Shamsaddin, the chief executive of Sabic AN said: “Sabic Agri-Nutrients made a public commitment not only to become carbon neutral by 2050 but also to collaborate with customers in helping them achieve their net-zero emission targets.

“With low-carbon ammonia, customers in India can move toward realising their carbon-neutrality commitments.

“Sabic’s shipment to India is a significant milestone and an example of our commitment to developing low-carbon solutions for the world.”

Low-carbon ammonia has the potential to transport lower-carbon hydrogen and decarbonise key sectors such as power generation for both utilities and industries.

In 2020, Sabic joined Aramco and the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ) to ship low-carbon ammonia to Japan.

The first shipment of independently certified low-carbon ammonia from Saudi Arabia to Japan was announced in April this year.

The ammonia will be used for power generation and was produced with feedstock from Saudi Aramco, sold by Aramco Trading Company to Fuji Oil Company, and transported by Mitsui OSK Lines.

In 2022, Sabic AN and Aramco obtained the world’s first independent certification of low-carbon ammonia and clean hydrogen production from TUV Rheinland, a leading independent testing, inspection and certification agency based in Germany.

In addition, Sabic AN and Aramco sent the world’s first commercial shipment of 25,000 metric tons of independently certified low-carbon ammonia to South Korea last December.

South Korea-based Lotte Fine Chemicals received the shipment of 25,000 metric tonnes of independently certified blue ammonia in the southern city of Ulsan.