Prefactibilidad tecno-económica para un FPSO de amoniaco verde frente a las costas de Manta

Abstract

CONDITION FOR PUBLICATION OF PROJECT. The current production of energy vectors such as ammonia, hydrogen, or methanol still relies heavily on fossil fuels—especially natural gas—highlighting the urgent need to accelerate their replacement with renewable alternatives. Although there are studies on ammonia production from renewable sources, the requirement for large volumes of freshwater, ultracompetitive renewable energy, and geographic availability may limit its development. This study aims to assess the technical and economic pre-feasibility of producing green ammonia offshore in Manabí. The study was conducted in two stages. First, meteorological resource availability—such as solar irradiance, wave height, wind speed, and ocean currents—was analyzed off the coast of Manta using historical data across various timeframes. Then, a hybrid floating wind-PV generation park was designed to supply clean energy to an offshore FPSO ammonia production plant located 3,000 nautical miles west of San Mateo. In the study area, the average wind speed at 200 masl is 7 m/s from the southwest, with global horizontal irradiance of 4.15 kWh/m²/day and an average radiation of 326.24 W/m². The 115 MW installed capacity park consists of 21 barges, each hosting a 5 MW wind turbine and 792x700W PV modules. The FPSO is a vessel with a maximum production capacity of 233 tons of NH₃ per day. Over a 30 year lifespan, the project achieved an LCOE of $101.91/MWh, LCOA of $802.71/ton, an IRR of 11.5%, and an NPV of $747 million. It is concluded that offshore green ammonia production in Manabí is technically and financially feasible in the long term, provided a mixed financing model is used that exceeds the estimated MARR under Ecuador's recent economic conditions. Keywords: Ammonia, hydrogen, irradiance, hybrid wind-PV generation, FPSO.