Japanese petrochemical company Ube plans to stop production of liquefied ammonia by 2030 as part of efforts to streamline its business and achieve its decarbonisation goal.

Ube unveiled in its April 2022-March 2025 business plan that it aims to stop production because its liquefied ammonia plant in the southwestern prefecture of Yamaguchi is ageing and the manufacturing process emits greenhouse gases (GHGs). The company produces liquefied ammonia from petroleum coke and coal. Ube did not disclose the plant's production capacity.

Ube raised concerns about the sustainability of its ammonia business in the long term because of growing pressure to decarbonise at an investor meeting in May 2021.

Ube has been gradually shifting towards cleaner products such as blue and green ammonia. Blue ammonia is made in the same way as conventional ammonia but with its by-product CO2 captured and stored, while green ammonia is produced using hydrogen and renewable energy.

The company partnered with domestic petrochemical producers Sumitomo Chemical, Mitsui Chemicals and Mitsubishi Gas Chemical last December to seek stable supplies of "clean" ammonia. Ube also participated in a joint study on using green ammonia as a marine fuel in June 2021.

Ube is targeting to reduce GHG emissions to 2.4mn t/yr by 2030-31 from an estimated 4.2mn t/yr in 2021-22.