World-first ammonia boiler could power future off-grid industrial sites

17 June 2026

The world’s first one-megawatt ammonia boiler has been successfully built and tested by a UK consortium including researchers from Cardiff University’s Net Zero Innovation Institute, opening the door to viable, cost-effective renewable energy for businesses in the future.

The £3.4million Amburn project has explored the potential of green ammonia as a fuel for off-grid industrial sites, which currently use 4.5million tonnes of oil every year, equating to 14 metric tonnes of carbon emissions. The project is funded by Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and is delivered in partnership with Flogas.

The team’s latest milestone builds on the successes of previous testing, where the boiler burnt 100% ammonia at 500kW at Cardiff University’s laboratory. Now, the team say Amburn has the potential to not only reduce carbon emissions but also to open new avenues for sustainable energy adoption, paving the way for a greener industrial future.

Dr. Syed Mashruk, Zero Carbon Fuels theme leader at Cardiff University's Net Zero Innovation Institute (NZII), said, “This latest stage of the project highlighted the considerable challenges associated with burning ammonia under load, particularly when compared to the 500 kW furnace experiments we’ve conducted [in the past]. These challenges were addressed through our extensive experience in ammonia combustion, enabling the system to achieve excellent combustion and emissions performance under load conditions, marking an important step forward."

Dr Mashruk continued, “The project also showcased excellent collaboration between academic and industrial partners, with Flogas playing a leading role in this latest phase by designing and installing pipework, control valves, safety devices, and detection systems to the highest health and safety standards. The outcomes of this work have significant potential to revolutionise decarbonisation in the off-grid sector, with promising opportunities to extend these benefits to other sectors as well.”

Professor Agustin Valera Medina Co-Director of the Net Zero Innovation Institute
Professor - Teaching and Research

Professor Medina said, "With many topics still to unravel and further R&D required for final commercialization, AMBURN sets the milestone of a clear path towards the integration of ammonia along isolated processing sites across the UK and beyond."

The Amburn consortium is now investigating future funding options to further test the system before preparing for commercial rollout of the technology. Once commercialised, this technology holds the potential to decarbonise hard-to-abate off-grid businesses and unlock further energy security for the UK.