The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) partnered with Fertiglobe to sell the first shipment of UAE’s blue ammonia to the Japanese Itochu company, ADNOC announced in a statement.

The action comes as a part of the efforts exerted to boost cooperation between Japan and the UAE, as well as the development of new UAE-Japan blue ammonia supply chains.

Additionally, ammonia is set to be used in producing fertilizers.

“The announcement builds upon ADNOC’s commitment to expanding the UAE’s position as a regional leader in the production of hydrogen and its carrier fuels, meeting the needs of critical global export markets such as Japan. Through the expansion of our capabilities across the blue ammonia value chain, we look forward to furthering our legacy as one of the world’s least carbon intensive hydrocarbon producers and supporting industrial decarbonization with a competitive low-carbon product portfolio,” Sultan Ahmed Al-Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and ADNOC Managing Director and Group CEO, said.

“We are pleased that ITOCHU, a leading general trading company in Japan, is contributing to a low-carbon society together with ADNOC. Starting with this trial of blue ammonia for fertilizer applications, we aim to create a wide range of ammonia value chains for existing industrial applications as well as future energy use,” said  Masaya Tanaka, Executive Officer of ITOCHU Corporation, President of the Energy & Chemicals Company and COO of the Power & Environmental Solution Division.

“By collaborating with ADNOC and Fertiglobe, we expect to initiate and enhance our industrial portfolio in the fertilizer sector while achieving our commitments towards decarbonization activities in other industries,” She added.