Energy firm Woodside Energy‘s ammonia plant, located in the Beaumont area of Texas, has produced its first ammonia after completing initial systems testing.

Commercial production is expected to begin in early 2026, following the handover of the project from OCI Global to Woodside Energy, Woodside said in a press release on Monday.

The ammonia deliveries are planned for the second half of 2026 and target demand from sectors including shipping and power generation.

The project was originally developed as the OCI Clean Ammonia project before being acquired by Woodside in September 2024 and renamed Beaumont New Ammonia.

Woodside said interest in lower-carbon ammonia continues to grow, particularly from customers in Europe and Asia focused on decarbonisation and energy security.

The company has also secured agreements to supply conventional ammonia from the plant, with deliveries due to start next year.

Once fully operational, the 1.1 million mt/year facility is expected to significantly increase US ammonia export capacity.

Ammonia is increasingly seen as a promising zero-carbon marine fuel, but its adoption is constrained by limited fuel availability, safety and toxicity concerns, and the need for dedicated bunkering infrastructure.

As a result, commercial uptake is expected to be gradual, with wider deployment likely taking several more years to materialise.