Ammonia is fast emerging as a key player in the global transition to cleaner energy systems, particularly across Asia where it offers a versatile and potentially carbon-free solution for storage, transport, and power generation. Produced from hydrogen and nitrogen, ammonia has long been used as a fertiliser feedstock, but it is now gaining renewed attention as a carrier for renewable hydrogen and as a direct fuel source itself.

Unlike hydrogen, which requires complex and expensive cryogenic storage and complex infrastructure, ammonia can be transported and stored more easily using existing global networks, making it a practical means of moving renewable energy across regions and continents. When synthesised using renewable electricity - through so-called “green ammonia” production - it becomes a carbon-neutral fuel capable of decarbonising sectors that are otherwise difficult to electrify, such as shipping, heavy industry and long-duration power generation.

Research and pilot projects are accelerating worldwide, from Japan’s ammonia co-firing power plants to Europe’s green ammonia hubs and Australia’s large-scale export initiatives. As nations race to meet net-zero targets, ammonia’s role as both a hydrogen carrier and a standalone fuel is increasingly seen as a bridge between renewable energy production and real-world application - a promising development in the evolving landscape of sustainable energy.

And one of the firms leading this quest, and a name represented at the late August, 2025 Korea Energy Show in Busan, South Korea, is Amogy.

Seonghoon Woo, the founding CEO of Amogy is the man behind the company’s mission to help shift the planet closer to achieving net zero emissions goals through a range of innovative ammonia-powered solutions.

Under Woo’s leadership, Amogy has secured $300mn in funding from top investors including Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund, Temasek, SK Innovation, and Aramco Ventures, scaled to 100+ employees across the US, South Korea, and Japan. In the process he has launched a number of industry firsts such as the world’s first carbon-free, ammonia-powered maritime vessel.

The man himself holds a PhD. in Materials Science from MIT with a Minor in Finance and has already been recognised as a Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia honoree as well as a Presidential Young Scientist in South Korea in 2018.

Speaking with AsiaElec both at the show in Busan and later by e-mail, Woo confirmed the obvious - that ‘Amogy’ is itself a combination of ammonia and energy - before highlighting a major project the firm is working on in a collaboration with GS Engineering & Construction, HD Hyundai Infracore, and the city of Pohang, to deploy an ammonia-powered distributed power generation system of up to 40 MW.

“We’re very pleased with how the collaboration with GS E&C, HD Hyundai Infracore, and the city of Pohang is progressing” Woo said. “The teams have been working closely together to advance technical and feasibility planning for the power generation system. This project represents an exciting step toward demonstrating ammonia’s potential as a scalable, carbon-free energy solution in industrial applications” he added.

As such, Woo confirms that “All parties remain aligned and committed to achieving the shared goal of bringing this system into commercial operation within the targeted timeframe” (of 2028-2029).

Another project Amogy is working on, in Taiwan, has seen the firm partner with local entity, the Taipei-based GreenHarvest, to deploy Taiwan's first ammonia-to-power system. Said to be scheduled for installation between late 2026 and early 2027 at a large industrial electricity consumer facility, with potential to scale across Taiwan's semiconductor and high-tech manufacturing sectors, the project, if realised, would be a significant addition to Taiwan’s existing renewables sector – often criticised for the need to involve local firms with limited understanding of a given sector in a bid to check boxed at central government offices.

Asked about the project with GreenHarvest, Woo said “At this stage, there are no further details we are able to share publicly. We believe this initiative holds meaningful potential to scale across Taiwan’s semiconductor and high-tech manufacturing sectors and contribute to the island’s industrial decarbonisation efforts. We look forward to sharing additional updates as we hit key milestones.”

Singapore meanwhile is looking a much more promising outlet for Amogy and Woo’s expertise with ammonia, at least for now. The firm’s CEO said “We recently announced a new partnership with the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore’s lead public sector R&D agency, to collaborate on the development and deployment of ammonia-based technologies in Singapore.”

A nation and market known to be pushing all avenues of renewables adoption in recent months in addition to powering its transition on the back of LNG imports, Singapore has been targeted by many foreign renewable firms looking to secure a foothold in Southeast Asia. “We plan to explore opportunities for piloting ammonia-to-power systems on Jurong Island” Woo continued, referring to a project revealed in a September announcement by the company.

An Amogy press release in September confirmed that “Under the MOU, Amogy and A*STAR will explore opportunities for piloting ammonia-to-power systems on Jurong Island. The collaboration sits within A*STAR’s efforts in sustainable energy and chemicals. A*STAR plans to provide expertise in safety and standards, assess costs and sustainability, and develop new technologies to help scale ammonia-to-power systems safely and effectively” before referring to the fact that “Amogy’s proprietary ammonia-to-power system leverages advanced catalyst materials to efficiently crack ammonia into hydrogen, which is then converted into electricity via hydrogen fuel cells or engines. This breakthrough approach is poised to present a viable and scalable low- to zero-carbon alternative to fossil fuels, particularly for energy-intensive sectors.”

With this in mind, the firm states that the collaboration is expected to include a demo of ammonia-to-power systems offshore Singapore proper on Jurong Island, joint R&D efforts towards advanced ammonia-cracking technologies, and the eventual development of digital tools and workforce training to support such efforts.

Of the deal, Woo added that “We are excited to partner with A*STAR to demonstrate the potential of ammonia-powered technology in Singapore” in what is a coming together with “marks an important step toward advancing decarbonisation in critical sectors such as data centres and heavy industry, while contributing to Singapore’s leadership in driving towards a low-carbon future.”

In response, Professor Lim Keng Hui, the Assistant Chief Executive, Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC), A*STAR added that “A*STAR looks forward to our partnership with Amogy to support Singapore’s National Hydrogen Strategy and our own efforts in sustainable energy and chemicals. By advancing technologies for low- or zero-carbon ammonia for power generation and bunkering, we can help pave the way to decarbonise hard-to-abate industries.