India’s First Independent Ammonia Storage Terminal Set To Launch In 2026

Aegis Vopak Terminals Limited (AVTL) has announced plans to build India’s first independent ammonia storage terminal at Pipavav, Gujarat, with commissioning expected by the end of 2026. The project is set to transform ammonia handling infrastructure in India.

The new terminal will be developed as a brownfield project at AVTL’s existing location in Pipavav, which lies on the west coast of Gujarat. The terminal will have a storage capacity of around 36,000 metric tonnes.

The project will be fully funded by AVTL, a joint venture between Aegis Logistics Limited and Vopak India, with an estimated investment of €53 million (INR 5.3 billion).

Once operational, the terminal will enable ammonia imports, helping meet the demands of India’s extensive fertilizer industry. At the same time, the facility is expected to support green ammonia exports in the future. Ammonia is increasingly seen as a key carrier of hydrogen, making it an important element in clean energy supply chains.

AVTL’s upcoming facility fits closely with India’s long-term green fuel goals. In May 2023, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways issued the Harit Sagar Green Port Guidelines, outlining plans to set up green ammonia, green hydrogen, and green methanol bunkering facilities at all major ports by 2035.

As one of the world’s top ammonia producers, India has shown growing interest in green ammonia as part of its decarbonisation plans, although much of the development is still in its early phases.

In recent months, other green ammonia projects have emerged across the country. In March 2025, a Japanese consortium-comprising IHI Corporation, Hokkaido Electric Power, Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), Mizuho Bank, and Tokyo Century Corporation, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore investment in a green ammonia project in India. That site is expected to produce around 400,000 tonnes annually and export the product to Japan.

Additionally, India’s ammonia and hydrogen developer Hygenco Green Energie began construction on a green ammonia plant in June 2025 at Gopalpur Industrial Park in Odisha.

The project’s first phase will have a capacity of 600 tonnes per day and is expected to become operational by 2027. A second phase will double the capacity by early 2028, and the final setup aims to reach 1.1 million tonnes per year.

AVTL, now a publicly listed company, is India’s largest third-party operator of tank storage terminals for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and liquid products based on storage capacity as of December 31, 2024, according to a CRISIL Report.

The company and its subsidiaries currently run terminals at six major Indian ports.

Vopak, a global tank storage leader based in the Netherlands, holds a 42.23% stake in AVTL. The company operates six ammonia storage terminals across its international network and is actively expanding in industrial gases and infrastructure for clean energy.

Reference: Vopak

Source: Maritime Shipping News