Japan’s Mitsui taps Ma’aden for blue ammonia imports: Saudi mining company Ma’aden inked an MoU with Japanese industrial conglomerate Mitsui & Co to become the first commercial supplier of blue ammonia to Japan, Ma’aden tweeted. The project’s timeline, targeted production volume, and investment cost were not made public.

Ma’aden has a pipeline of blue ammonia exports to Asia: The Saudi mining company signed an agreement with Taiwan Fertiliser Company last week to export an unknown volume of blue ammonia in what will mark the first commercial shipment to Taiwan, according to a tweet. No information on the timeline for delivery or investment cost were disclosed. Ma’aden shipped 25k tons of blue ammonia to South Korea last December after signing an agreement to export the low-carbon fertilizer with Lotte Fine Chemical (LFC).

And this is Mitsui’s second blue ammonia partnership in the region: Mitsui signed a shareholder agreement with Ta’ziz — a joint venture between Adnoc and ADQ — GS Energy, and Fertiglobe to construct a facility to produce some 1 mn tons of blue ammonia per year.

Two other Saudi companies are in the race for blue ammonia exports: Saudi Aramco and Sabic Agri-Nutrients shipped 25k tons of blue ammonia to LFC last November, marking the first commercial import of blue ammonia to the country.

About Mitsui: Mitsui & Co is one of the largest general trading companies in Japan and is part of the Mitsui Group. The conglomerate operates in numerous sectors including energy, metals, chemicals, heavy machinery, and information technology, according to their website.