Oklahoma City-based LSB Industries Inc., a producer of industrial
and agricultural chemicals, is part of a group of firms planning construction of an ammonia production plant in the Houston Ship Channel.
LSB, led by President Mark Behrman, will build the 1.1 million tons per year low-carbon production and export plant along with Air Liquide Group, INPEX Corp. and Vopak Moda Houston LLC. Plans call for the plant to be open for business at the end of 2027.
No details were offered regarding the cost of the project. Reports indicated that LSB and INPEX will collaborate on the low-carbon ammonia production. LSB will also handle the selection of the ammonia loopo technology provider and the plant’s engineering, procurement and construction. It will also be responsible for the day-to-day operation of the ammonia loop.
The project will be LSB’s fifth site for chemical production. It already has an ammonium nitrate plant in northeast Oklahoma near Pryor, another nitrate plant in Cherokee, Alabama, a similar plant in El Dorado, Arkansas and a nitric acid plant in Baytown, Texas.
LSB and INPEX also plan to sell the ammonia and finalize off-take and potential additional partnership agreements. The firms indicated that most of the product will be used for power generation in Asia with some product going to Europe and the U.S. At least 95% of the direct CO2 emissions from on-site hydrogen production will be captured and sequestered, with at least 1.6 million metric tons sequestered per year.
INPEX is anticipated to be the largest investor in the overall project.