Ammonia is hydrogen chemistry: ~70% of its CO2 comes from steam-methane reforming of natural gas (process + fuel), the rest from downstream nitric acid (N2O, separately abated) and utilities. It's the CBAM category where green hydrogen most directly replaces the core process input.
| Year | Free allocation (EU) | Payable carbon cost | Annual bill (per 100,000 t NH3) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 97.5% | €3.87 / t NH3 | €387,000 |
| 2030 | 51.5% | €75.08 / t NH3 | €7,507,800 |
| 2034 | 0.0% | €154.80 / t NH3 | €15,480,000 |
At EUA €77.4 (11 Jun 2026) and ≈1.6–2.4 t CO2/t NH3 (SMR route; IEA). EU ETS industry schedule; exporters under CBAM follow the mirrored phase-in. Power sectors pay 100% from day one.
Indicative reduction potential of each measure against the relevant emissions share (sources: IEA industry roadmaps, sector associations — see each measure page). Measures stack but don't simply add.
An ammonia plant is a steam city: reformers, waste-heat boilers, strippers and a dense valve population at 200–500 °C. Surveys typically find 2–5% of fuel recoverable in standing losses — and unlike the hydrogen transition, that money is available this budget year. QAFCO-scale sites measure this in thousands of tonnes of CO2.
Method: ASTM C680 / ISO 12241 surface energy balance — the same engine as our public calculators. Typical removable-insulation effect across hot-process plants: 2–5% of fuel-related CO2, payback up to 2 years.
Direct-emission intensities, typical published values per industry page — units differ by product; see each page for sources.
