Clean Hydrogen Works

What Clean Hydrogen Works does

Clean Hydrogen Works (CHW), founded in 2021 and headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas, is a private clean energy project developer focused on a single asset: the Ascension Clean Energy (ACE) project in Donaldsonville, Louisiana. The $7.5 billion ACE project is designed to produce blue ammonia at world scale — 2.4 million metric tons annually in the first phase (targeted 2030 commercial operations), scaling to 7.2 MTPA at full deployment — for export to power generation, marine bunker fuel, heavy transportation, steel, and fertilizer markets globally.

The core technology is Topsoe's SynCOR autothermal reforming (ATR) process, which produces clean hydrogen for ammonia synthesis while targeting up to 98% CO2 capture. Captured CO2 is contracted for permanent geological sequestration via Denbury's pipeline network (now contested due to ExxonMobil's 2023 acquisition of Denbury). The facility employs mega-module construction methods and self-generated zero-carbon onsite power to minimize cost and Scope 2 emissions. Strategic shareholders Hafnia (~250 vessels) and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (100+ LNG ships) provide global shipping and distribution capabilities.

CHW operates a pre-revenue, capital-intensive project development model structured around long-term enterprise offtake agreements negotiated directly with large industrial buyers across multiple verticals. Revenue will only begin post-Commercial Operations Date in 2030, contingent on a successful Final Investment Decision targeted for 2026. The company has secured a blue-chip ecosystem of advisors including Goldman Sachs (financial), McDermott (FEED), Wood (owner's engineer), and Latham & Watkins (legal). The business is currently navigating material regulatory risk through an antitrust lawsuit against ExxonMobil over alleged anticompetitive blocking of CO2 pipeline access, with claimed damages exceeding $1 billion.

Name

Clean Hydrogen Works

Legal name

Clean Hydrogen Works, LLC

Website

https://cleanhydrogenworks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Clean Hydrogen Works is a private project developer building the $7.5 billion Ascension Clean Energy (ACE) blue ammonia facility in Louisiana, targeting 2.4 MTPA by 2030 and 7.2 MTPA at full deployment for global power, shipping, steel, and fertilizer customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clean Ammonia Production

NAICS

Industrial Gas Manufacturing (32512)

SIC

Engines & Turbines (3510)

akta.pro primary industry

Hydrogen (Industrial & Mobility) (IMAEACAB)

Keywords

• Blue hydrogen production
• Clean ammonia manufacturing
• Carbon capture infrastructure
• Hydrogen energy projects
• Low-carbon ammonia

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Prairie

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Clean Ammonia Sales: Production and sale of clean ammonia (blue ammonia) to global markets for use in power generation, marine bunker fuel, heavy transportation, steel processing, industrial applications, and fertilizer production. First phase produces 2.4 million metric tons annually, scaling to 7.2 million metric tons at full deployment.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Clean Hydrogen Works (CHW) is developing the Ascension Clean Energy (ACE) project, a planned world-scale clean ammonia production facility in Ascension Parish, Louisiana. The facility will use blue hydrogen production with Topsoe SynCOR autothermal reforming technology integrated with 98% CO2 capture, producing 2.4 MTPA of clean ammonia in Phase 1 (target COD 2030), scaling to 7.2 MTPA, with a total project investment of approximately $7.5 billion.

Product overview

Clean Hydrogen Works operates as a single-product clean energy development company focused on the Ascension Clean Energy (ACE) project. ACE is a world-scale clean ammonia production facility that represents the company's core and only product offering. The project uses blue hydrogen technology with carbon capture to produce clean ammonia at scale, targeting global decarbonization markets. The facility leverages Topsoe's SynCOR autothermal reforming technology, CO2 transportation and sequestration via Denbury pipelines, and global shipping partnerships with Hafnia and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines for distribution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ascension Clean Energy (ACE): World-scale clean ammonia project developed by Clean Hydrogen Works in Ascension Parish, Louisiana, designed to produce up to 7.2 million tons of clean ammonia annually with up to 98% CO2 capture.

Products and services

• Ascension Clean Energy (ACE) Project A world-scale clean ammonia production facility being developed in Ascension Parish, Louisiana, designed to produce 2.4 MTPA in Phase 1 and scale to 7.2 MTPA, with approximately $7.5 billion in total project investment. The facility is targeted at industrial buyers in power generation, marine/shipping, steel, fertilizer, and heavy transportation markets.
• Clean Ammonia

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% CO2 capture rate targeting reduction of up to 98% of all CO2 emissions
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered key and core.

• McDermottkeyImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 21 November 2024McDermott was awarded the Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) contract for the Ascension Clean Energy (ACE) Project in November 2024. McDermott is a leading engineering and construction company providing comprehensive FEED services for large-scale energy projects.
• TopsoecoreTechnology or Integration · 19 December 2022Topsoe, headquartered in Denmark and the world's largest ammonia technology licensor, provides licensing, engineering, proprietary hardware, and catalyst for ACE's clean ammonia production. The groundbreaking SynCOR autothermal reforming (ATR) technology will generate clean hydrogen for ammonia production while capturing up to 98% of CO2 emissions.
• DenburycoreTechnology or Integration · 1 November 2022Denbury provides critical CO2 transportation and sequestration services for the ACE project. Permanent sequestration takes place at one or more of Denbury's secure underground CO2 sites developed along their existing CO2 pipeline network. CO2 captured from ammonia production (up to 98%) is transferred to Denbury's pipeline for transport and permanent geological storage. Note: ExxonMobil acquired Denbury in 2023 and CHW has filed antitrust lawsuit alleging anticompetitive blocking of pipeline access.
• Wood GroupkeyImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWood (John Wood Group PLC) serves as the engineering consultant to the ACE project, providing engineering, project management, and technical services. Selected as owner's engineer in Q1 2022 to support permitting, PDP and FEED development. Wood has been involved in projects focusing on green energy and sustainable energy transition.
• Latham & WatkinskeyImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLatham & Watkins LLP serves as the legal advisor for commercial activities of the ACE project. Recognized as a powerhouse in the energy sector with expertise across various energy industry sectors, providing legal services covering the entire lifecycle of energy projects including navigating complex regulatory environments and securing financing.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Air Liquide: Global industrial gas leader investing heavily in blue and green hydrogen, ammonia, and CCS across the U.S. Gulf Coast and Europe. Comparable as a large incumbent executing world-scale hydrogen-to-ammonia projects with similar customer base.
• CF Industries: North America's largest nitrogen fertilizer producer with growing investments in blue/green ammonia (e.g., Donaldsonville complex). Dale Reppond's background includes CF Industries, making the firm a direct U.S. competitor in clean ammonia capacity and fertilizer offtake.
• Linde: Global industrial gas major and one of the largest hydrogen producers. Joe Dunn's prior tenure at Linde and Linde's blue/green hydrogen project portfolio make it a broad incumbent peer across hydrogen production, CCS integration, and global offtake.
• Air Products: Largest U.S. hydrogen producer with multi-billion-dollar blue/green hydrogen and clean ammonia megaprojects in Louisiana and globally. VP Business Development Joe Dunn previously worked at Air Products, and Air Products overlaps directly with ACE's end-market strategy and Gulf Coast footprint.

Emerging players

• HIF Global: Developer of large-scale e-fuels (hydrogen/ammonia/methanol) projects targeting shipping and heavy transport. Comparable as an emerging player in the same clean-fuel decarbonization end-markets, with overlapping shipping and offtake counterparties.
• NextDecade: U.S. energy transition developer with integrated CCS (1PointFive) and low-carbon ammonia/FID-stage projects. Comparable as a fellow project-development-stage peer pursuing first-of-a-kind integrated CCS and clean-fuel economics.

Direct peers

• OCI Global: OCI Global is a leading nitrogen and methanol producer with one of the world's first large-scale clean ammonia projects at Beaumont, Texas (1.1 MTPA). CHW's plant director Dale Reppond came directly from OCI/Woodside's Beaumont facility, and OCI is a comparable blue/clean ammonia developer targeting the same end-markets.
• Yara International: Global nitrogen-fertilizer and ammonia major with multiple clean ammonia pilots and offtake positions across shipping and agriculture. Olivier Saulnier (CHW's VP Sales & Marketing) spent 30 years at Yara, indicating direct talent and commercial overlap in fertilizer-market-driven clean ammonia.
• ADNOC: Abu Dhabi national oil company shipping blue ammonia to Asian and European markets through projects such as Fertiglobe. ADNOC is a direct competitor targeting the same maritime/power-generation offtake markets that ACE addresses.
• Woodside Energy: Australian energy major co-developing low-carbon ammonia (e.g., with OCI at Beaumont) and pursuing global shipping/marine ammonia offtake. Woodside's strategic partnership with OCI positions it as a direct comparable for ACE's product/customer mix and CCS-integrated design.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Clean Hydrogen Works